The Cutting Edge

VIEWPOINTS8 Letters113 Manufacturer CommentsCOLUMNS12 From The Editor14 Industry News16 Future TAS New Products on the HorizonTAS JOURNAL26 The Quest for Great Sound on a $2000 Budget, Part 2Barry Willis finishes his report on seeking out a great budget system.34 TAS Talks with Benjamin ZanderJonathan Valin and Mark Lehman interview a conductor who’s recordedsome impressive Mahler symphonies on the Telarc label—and brilliantlyexplained what they mean, to boot.16MUSIC116 GOLDEN EAR MUSIC AWARDS146 2005’s Top 10 Pop/Rock, Jazz, and Classical Albums134 Recording of the Issue—Mozart: Sonatas for Piano andViolin (Hahn)133 ClassicalThe lowdown on Beethoven’s Razumovsky Quartets, Testament’s JuilliardQuartet reissues, and a Sibelius SACD box set.141 JazzCritiques of the latest albums from Jim McAuley, Robert Glasper, AndrewHill, Greg Osby, and Steve Lehman.144 Rock Etc.A roundup of new live records from Green Day, Patti Smith, The MarsVolta, Iron Maiden, The Grateful Dead, plus reviews of the latest fromNeil Diamond, Lewis Taylor, and others.160 TAS BACK PAGEAudio FindsJonathan Valin reports on rarities from the recent Bighorn Sheep AudioFest in Boise.344 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

founder; chairman, editorial advisory boardHarry Pearsoneditor-in-chief Robert Harleyeditor Wayne Garciaassociate editor Jonathan Valinmanaging and Bob Gendronmusic editorcopy editor Mark Lehmanacquisitions manager Neil Gaderand associate editornews editor Barry Willisequipment setup Danny Gonzalezeditorial advisory board Sallie Reynoldsadvisor, cutting edge Atul Kanagatsenior writersJohn W. Cooledge, Anthony H. Cordesman,Gary Giddins, Robert E. Greene, Fred Kaplan,Greg Kot, Andrew Quint, Paul Seydorreviewers and contributing writersSoren Baker, Greg Cahill, Dan Davis, Andy Downing,Jim Hannon, Stephan Harrell, Jacob Heilbrunn,John Higgins, Sue Kraft, Mark Lehman, Ted Libbey,David McGee, Derk Richardson, Don Saltzman, DanSchwartz, Aaron M. Shatzman, Alan Taffel,Arnie Williamsdesign/production Design Farm, Inc.publisher/editor, AVGuide Chris Martensweb producer Ari KoinumaAbsolute Multimedia, Inc.chairman and ceo Thomas B. Martin, Jr.vice president/publisher Mark Fisheradvertising reps Cheryl Smith(512) 891-7775Marvin Lewis,MTM Sales(718) 225-8803subscriptions, renewals, changes of addressPhone (888) 732-1625 (US) or (815) 734-5833(outside US), or write The Absolute Sound,Subscription Services, PO Box 629, Mt Morris,IL 61054.Ten issues: in the US, $42; Canada $57 (GSTincluded); outside North America, $67 (includesair mail). Payments must be by credit card(VISA, MasterCard, American Express) or US fundsdrawn on a US bank, with checks payable toAbsolute Multimedia, Inc.editorial mattersAddress letters to: The Editor, The Absolute Sound,P.O. Box 1768, Tijeras, New Mexico 87059, ore-mail rharley@absolutemultimedia.com.classified advertisingPlease use form in back of issue.newsstand distribution and local dealersContact: IPD, 27500 Riverview Center Blvd., Suite400, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134, (239) 949-4450publishing mattersContact Mark Fisher at the address below ore-mail mfisher@absolutemultimedia.com.Publications Mail Agreement 40600599Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses toStation A / P.O. Box 54 / Windsor, ON N9A 6J5E-mail: info@theabsolutesound.comL E T T E R SEditors’ Choice—Too Limited?I just finished reading the December 2005issue of The Absolute Sound, and I found theRecommended Products list lacking and abit askew. In the amplification section wehave seven (or eight, depending on howyou count the NL10.1 and NL12.1) Edgeproducts and none from Mark Levinson,Boulder, Jeff Rowland, Gamut, or Pathos.YBA and Naim have great amps and preamps(as well as CD players) beyond theintegrated you are stuck with. Same withspeakers—I would rather have some productson the list from well-known makerslike ProAc, Spendor, JMFocal, or Avalonthan have three models from Wilson orSonus Faber.The point I am trying to make is thatyou will have a much betterRecommended Product list in the samespace if you include more brands andfewer models from the same company. Ido not need seven reviews of Edge to getme interested. An excellent review of oneproduct might send me to the dealerwhere I can audition the different modelsand pick the one that fits my budget andtaste. On the other hand, the omission ofan important maker might make memiss a very good product. Haim RonenWayne Garcia replies: Thanks for yourfeedback, Mr. Ronen. While your basicpoint is a good one, I think that you’reoverstating the case. Although you correctlypoint out that a few companies(such as Edge and Wilson) may havemore products covered and recommendedthan some others, there are severalreasons for that. One is simply that themost-frequently-covered manufacturers(and your list might also have includedthe likes of B&W, Magnepan, BAT,Nordost, and Musical Fidelity) make awide range of outstanding products thatwe believe are worthy of our readers’attention. That’s not to say that othersdon’t, but some manufacturers (such asRowland) don’t readily make their productsavailable for review, while others(such as Spectral) never supply reviewsamples. There are other reasons why wemay not cover a company’s wares duringa particular span of time. For instance,some firms have experienced changes inmanagement and personnel (Levinson),while others have their hands full supplyingtheir dealers with current productand can’t free up samples for review(Audio Research and MartinLogan).Although we make no claims that ourEditors’ Choice covers everything, wehave tried to make our list as deep and aswide-ranging as possible. That said, oneof the goals of switching from six to tenissues per year is to ensure that we’reable to cover many of the products thatwe may have previously overlooked. Bythe way, along those lines I’m happy toreport that we have reviews in the workson Pathos, Focal, and Mark Levinsoncomponents.Confused by SACDI am very confused by current developmentsin SACD replay. Some hardwaremanufacturers use PCM output even forSACD, like the Esoteric X01, whereasAbsolute Multimedia, Inc.4544 S. Lamar, Bldg. G-300Austin, Texas 78745phone (512) 892-8682 · fax (512) 891-0375e-mail tas@absolutemultimedia.comwww.theabsolutesound.com© 2005 Absolute Multimedia, Inc., Issue 159, February 2006.The Absolute Sound (ISSN #0097-1138) is published ten times per year,$42 per year for US residents, Absolute Multimedia, Inc., 4544 S. Lamar,Bldg G300, Austin, Texas 78745. Periodical Postage paid at Austin, Texas,and additional mailing offices. Canadian publication mail account #1551566.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Absolute Sound, SubscriptionServices, PO Box 629, Mt Morris, IL 61054. Printed in the USA.Upcoming in TASMartinLogan’s Summit speakerPathos Classic One Mk 2 integrated amplifierESS AMT-450 Heil-driver speakerAudience 72SE speakerMagic Diamond cartridgeRogue Audio Metis preampHP’s Workshop8 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

L E T T E R Sother companies, like EMM Labs, maintainthat DSD architecture is essential topreserving the information in the signal.There is a similar dichotomy ofviews on the software side. DeutscheGrammophon still uses PCM for itsSACDs, e.g. Kleiber/Mahler 5 and 7,whereas Channel Classics, MobileFidelity, Groove Note, Telarc, etc. useDSD throughout.I’d be grateful if you could throwsome light on this matter. An engineerat Esoteric actually said that panel testsrevealed that there was a preference forPCM over DSD, even with SACD. Ialways thought that decimation of ananalog waveform resulted in a loss oflow-level information—compare analogvinyl with digital vinyl.I look forward to your response andguidance.Dr. N. KumarRobert Harley replies: As you note,some SACD players convert the DirectStream Digital (DSD) bitstream from anSACD into linear pulse-code modulation(PCM) before the conversion to analog.One of DSD’s advantages over PCMis the lack of a need for a digital filter. Infact, it is possible to turn the DSD bitstreaminto music with a single capacitor(DSD D/A converters are more complexin practice, but not much). On theother hand, designers have a considerablywider range of choices in PCM digital-to-analogconverters. Some believethe degradation introduced by the digitalfilter is a worthwhile tradeoff foraccess to high-quality PCM DACs.More on Chesky and Apple’s iPodMay I get something off my chest? It concernsDavid Chesky’s surprising and trulyoutrageous letter in Issue 156. I agreecompletely with Robert Harley’s response,but as a classically trained composer I havea somewhat different perspective.Chesky asserts that “music is just theorganization of sound.” Well, no, it isn’t. Itis the organization of sound for a particularpurpose: that of expressivity. To achieve thatgoal—to make music that moves people—composers have an array of tools at their disposal.These include form (which differentiatesa song from a fugue from a symphony);melodic and rhythmic themes; theuse of repetition to imbue a sense offamiliarity, combined with equal partsvariety to create surprise and avoid predictability;and tension (generated byvarious means) that is satisfied, leadingto repose. “Tonality,” as Chesky pointsout, is certainly also one of the composer’stools, but it is far from the only oreven the most important one. Bach is stillBach even when, as we have seen over thecenturies, his work is transcribed to a verydifferent tone color. The music remainstimelessly powerful because, regardless ofthe nature or quality of the instrument(s)playing it, it embodies the above qualitiesin such abundance and with exquisite craft.If, as Chesky would have us believe,“it is about the sound,” then a steady-stategorgeous tone—say, a sustained noteplayed on a Stradivarius—would be compellingin some way. It isn’t. To the contrary,I can think of nothing more boringor ultimately irritating. A painter chooseshis colors carefully, but knows that coloralone cannot create a work of art. Thereare many other elements involved, andcolor, like sound, is in their service. I suspectthat Chesky, a composer whom Irespect, knows this well. But there is nosuch evidence in his letter.Sound plays two roles in our world. Itis, as discussed above, a compositionaltool used to shape the emotional makeupof a piece of music. It is also the means bywhich we perceive all music. Chesky isright that we, as reviewers, focus more onthe latter role. The reason is that even if asystem does not get the “tonality” completelyright, music can still be involvingand moving, so long as the other elementsof expressivity are accessible. (RHgave a splendid example of this in hiscomment.) To render these elementsaccessible, a system must possess onlyreasonable fidelity and sufficiently lowdistortion. An iPod in full compressionmode fails these basic requirements—distortionis high and dynamic range is solimited that any tension and repose (touse just one example) created throughchanging dynamics is obliterated. But, asRH points out, when used properly aniPod is perfectly capable of delivering thebasic elements built into the music by thecomposer. And that is why, despite tonalrestrictions, it and other sub-perfect systemscan enjoin the listener to the music.Where does this leave the high end?Where it has always been. Superior systemsare able to deliver more of the composer’sintent, more of the performer’sinterpretation, and, yes, more of the soundwe’d hear if we were listening to the sameperformance live. But this last benefitwould mean little if it weren’t coupledwith the first two. Remarkably, DavidChesky seems to have forgotten that.Thanks for letting me vent. I’ll goback to work now!Alan Taffel, TAS contributing writerMediaeval Philosopher?At the risk of sounding like a mediaevalphilosopher, I would like to clarify thediscussion occasioned by Robert Harley’sarticle “The Audiophile iPod” [Issue155]. Or maybe I should, Socrates-like,ask, which music, stupid? Of course Irealize that discussing essences, which iswhat this letter is doing, starts one downa slippery slope. Still, I believe that eventhough both bicycles and airplanes arevehicles, most people can tell the differencebetween them. It is to them that Ioffer this letter.Let us for the moment skip the questionof Platonic essences and not ponderwhat, say, Brahms’ First Symphonysounded like in Brahms’ head. For ourpurposes let us assume that the music isthe way the Berlin Philharmonic plays itunder the baton of one of our best conductors.When we reproduce it via theworld’s best sound system using SACD(you put it together), we obtain a reasonablefacsimile of the music, but not quitethe music. But for our discussion, let’s callthat the music. Let us now imagine thatwe omit every second byte from the CD(or compress it in another way—themethod doesn’t matter). It will, of course,still sound like Brahms’ First, but someonewith acute hearing would notice thatit lacks some overtones, some spatialclues, some tonal clarity, some ambience,some “continuousness.” The general publicmay barely notice that anything isamiss. Let us now compress the CD evenmore and listen to it via a portable radio.10 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

L E T T E R SWill we still be listening to the Brahms’1st? I don’t think so; we will be listeningto a Brahms First, but not the BrahmsFirst. Is this still music? Of course, it is.Can one enjoy it? Maybe so. But note thatthe word “music” has undergone a subtlechange. I do not want to debate the meritsof iPod and its accoutrements except topoint out that those who claim that theyare listening to the music have made aclever switch from what in this letter I callthe music. Of course, if they like, they canlisten to it in airports, gyms, on the wayto work.Although I know that no analogy isperfect, allow me to give one. I am lookingat a wonderful colored picture ofMichelangelo’s Last Judgment. If anyoneasked me what I am doing, I would say,“I am looking at The Last Judgment.” ButI am not. I am looking at a picture ofThe Last Judgment.I cannot speak for Brahms, but I suspectthat if he were listening to compressedmusic via the best of iPod Irather think he would say, “Very interesting.It has the outlines of my First.”And if he were to use Stairmaster, I suspecthe might prefer silence. Or maybestop exercising.Paul HoffmanMore Addams Family AudioResearchI really enjoyed your recent Back Page:“Addams Family Audio Research.” As a fanof that great TV show and of your magazine,here is a possible addendum to the list:• The Lurch Mega Tower Speaker(warm lower midrange if not a littlerolled-off at the high end).• Gomez’s Antistatic Cigar Wand(puts a big smile on any user’s face).• The Cousin It Test CD (only deckswith the highest upsampling ratescan decipher it).• Wednesday & Pugsley’s Torture TestRecord (see if your ’table-arm-cartridgecombo is up to this direct-todisc-recordingof multiple explodingtrain wrecks).Keep up the good work. Jon PellErratumIn last issue’s Editors’ ChoiceAwards, we mistakenly printed aphoto of the Rega P5 turntableunder the capsule comment onRoksan’s Radius 5 model. Here’s anactual photo of the Roksan.WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 11

g u e s t e d i t o r i a lTwo months ago, TAS AcquisitionsManager Neil Gader contacted meabout a panel he’s moderating at the2006 Consumer Electronics Show.Among his topics: How can the highend reach out to younger generations?A good question—and one thatcomes with tough answers likely toraise the ire of industry professionalsand audio journalists.As we move forward into an erawhere, for many, the stereo system hasbecome an iPod, any maker of quality music-reproductionequipment has reason to sweat. Expectedly, the move from hifito porta-fi has led to a myriad of knee-jerk predictions ofartistic and intellectual collapse. Many blame short attentionspans and the current state of national affairs. Another reasonI’ve heard is that music isn’t what it once was, and still anotheris that younger people don’t buy music.Yet these changes, and the erroneous belief that the qualityof music has plummeted, have more to do with perceptionsthan facts. Never before in history has a wider array of musicbeen available. Sounds from around the world and free previewsof hundreds of thousands of albums are a mouse-click away.People are listening. And buying. What’s often misunderstoodis that Recording Industry Association of America figures oftenpertain to units physically shipped. With fewer traditional outlets,these numbers are down, while digital acquisitions surge.Given these music-friendly developments, why does most ofthe high end still act like it’s living in the ’70s?Fundamentally, what’s happening in music is a continuationof a culture shift brought on by punk, intensified by hiphop,and exploded by indie-rock. Over the past few decades,music has splintered off in manifold directions. A priceless creativetransformation has occurred, but many listeners (and critics)have chosen not to follow or attempt to understand what’stranspired, hunkering down instead under a safety blanket ofthe music they already know (and believe to be unsurpassable)and ignoring the rest—dismissing contemporary sounds withouthaving heard a note of it.Such people are not only laughably pathetic and maddeninglyignorant; they are also clinging to a lazy closed-mindedworldview that is detrimental to art and audio. The point isn’tthat everyone has to bob his head to hip-hop or move his feetto glitchpop, but that deep-rooted generational biases arewidening a rift for which subgenres are frequently blamed.What the high end is really facing is a generation gap thatthe industry hasn’t yet bridged with a common language. Or,Blanked GenerationsBob Gendron, Music Editorto put it bluntly, it’s encountering listeners who can’t relate toand/or currently don’t care about audiophile-speak. What needsto be done to fix this problem begins at the root level—that is,the industry must forge a connection to the music that peopleare listening to today. We were reminded of this in the lastissue when a reader wrote in deriding audiophile publicationsfor constantly reviewing golden moldies.That hasn’t been true for years in this magazine, where westrive to inform readers in a timely way about noteworthy contemporaryreleases and select reissues. For examples of the formerand our music writers’ passion for the best of what’s current,just look at this issue’s Golden Ear Music Awards.However, the accusation is true when applied to equipmentreviews, where sonic examples primarily consist of albumsrecorded before 1980. In most cases, no contemporary rock,pop, blues, or R&B is cited. Hip-hop, metal, world, postmodernclassical, and avant-jazz might as well not exist.Yes, I’m aware of this magazine’s “unamplified music inreal space” credo. But I’m also aware that listeners (especiallythose under 40) enjoy an assortment of musical styles and areoften left clueless about how a component sounds, unless theyaudition somnambulistic easy-listening vocalists, carbon-datedrock, or warhorse classical. To limit the appeal of the high endto this minority ensures the slow death of the high end.When asked why he continued to search out new musicwell into his 60s, the legendary British deejay John Peelreplied, “I don’t read the same books I did when I was 20, Idon’t watch the same films I did when I was I was 20, whywould I listen to the same music?” I couldn’t agree more, andneither would any true music lover, which is why, withoutabandoning the past, the high end must speak to the present.Otherwise the industry’s face will be that of an antiquatedgroup reminiscing ad nauseam about the same batch of 50-year-old albums—a circular and cyclical debate that does adisservice to music fans and the manufacturers hoping toattract them.Most audiophile labels have failed to realize this, whichmay explain why few still exist. But there are those like WaterLily’s Kavi Alexander, who in Issue 156 bashed reverse-mindedthinking that values sonics over music. He recognizes that onlyso much repetition can be tolerated before former greats such asLed Zeppelin and Leonard Bernstein become irredeemably dulland dated.Music isn’t dead—it’s more alive than ever—and listenersare continually finding new places and ways to hear it. Millionsare waiting to discover how a great CD player or turntable canimprove their lives, but they’ll never experience either unlessthe industry catches up and begins to speak their language. &12 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

I N D U S T R Y N E W SNHT’s New ParentBarry WillisBenicia, California-basedNHT has been acquired bythe Vinci Group ofColorado, parent companyof Vinci Labs of Tampere,Finland. The new ownership is the latestin a string of mergers and acquisitionsthat have benefited and hindered thecompany throughout its 20-year history.Founded by Chris Byrne and KenKantor in the mid-1980s, NHT wasthe first to make a powered subwooferfor consumer use, in 1987. The companywas sold to Jensen Internationalin the early 1990s, ostensibly to leveragethe synergy that the NHT brandcould bring to Jensen’s lineup. Underthe Jensen umbrella, NHT developedsome excellent products, including the“Super Zero” mini-monitor and thehigh-performance full-range model3.3 floorstander. NHT was then spunoff to Recoton, a corporation knownmainly for budget audio accessories.The Recoton years were dark ones forNHT, said managing director ChrisByrne, when I visited the company’sDRM UpdateNorthern California headquarters lastyear. “Recoton basically didn’t knowwhat to do with us.” With little supportfrom Recoton, Byrne and a handfulof engineers and diehard loyalistskept the NHT flame burning throughsheer dedication.The company limped along until anacquisition by Rockford Corporation inlate 2002 put it on solid footing onceagain. Rockford’s full support for NHT’sresearch and development efforts haveyielded such impressive products as the“Evolution T6” loudspeaker system and“Xd” active loudspeaker system. A combinationof inspired engineering and superbdesign, the beautiful, retro-styled Xd wasone of the best-sounding demos at the2005 Consumer Electronics Show. It’s nowin full production, priced at $6000 for a2.1-channel setup. The price is deceptivelylow in that an Xd system includes all neededelectronics and cabling, making it one ofthe few high-end “plug-and-play” audiosystems available today.Under its new banner, NHT shouldcontinue pushing the audio envelope.The music industry’s fight against piracy has moved from mass lawsuits to technologicalwarfare. Sony/BMG has taken the copy-prevention fight to a new and especiallynasty level for computer users. According to a flurry of reports in early November,code imbedded in Sony/BMG compact discs could plant itself in computers, causingpotential system crashes and, if removed, inoperable CD drives. The invisible “root kit,”which combines elements of worms, viruses, and spyware to thwart unauthorized copyingand to report users’ IP addresses back to Sony/BMG, was discovered by Windowsexpert Mark Russinovich, according to an Associated Press report. The news wasquickly relayed by CNET and other online sources.Russinovich found the code had infected a computer he used to play a legallypurchased copy of Van Zandt’s Get Right With the Man. At the time he purchased thedisc, Sony/BMG reportedly had approximately two dozen titles encoded with the rootkit, with plans to include it in many more new releases. Russinovich later reportedthat Sony’s patch for the root kit, a supposed “uninstaller,” would only make it visiblein a file list. Removing the root kit without reformatting your hard drive and reinstallingyour operating system is an ordeal, according to other outraged technologyexperts. Simple solution: If you play the latest Sony/BMG releases, don’t do soon a computer.The company will be incorporated inColorado, home of Flextronics Design(renamed Vinci Labs in 2004). NHT’sdesign and engineering team will remainin Northern California, with dealer relationshipshandled by Vinci’s new SeniorVice President of Sales and Marketing,industry veteran Andy Regan. NHTfounder Ken Kantor is one of the fewmembers of the company’s core staff nolonger in Benicia. Kantor is now chieftechnology officer with a Silicon Valleystartup, Tymphany Corporation.“All of us at NHT are very excitedabout our new partners,” Byrne said inan October 19 announcement. “Thecombined influences of dramatic marketchange and the increasing palette of newtechnologies to improve audio productsmake it necessary for companies likeours to go beyond passive loudspeakerdesign. With the substantial resourcesVinci brings to NHT, we are in a greatposition for growth.”&British Audio ShowsU.K.-based and visiting audiophileshave three shows to lookforward to in 2006. Organized byChesterfield Communications, eachevent will focus on high-end audio,home cinema, custom installation,and car audio.NORTHERN SOUND & VISION28–29 January 2006Radisson SAS Manchester AirportHEATHROW HIGH FIDELITY SHOW1–2 April 2006Park InnSCOTTISH SOUND & VISION7–8 October 2006Radisson SAS GlasgowFor more information:phone—011 44 1829 740650e-mail—roy@chestergrp.fsnet.co.ukWeb—chestergroup.org14 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

new products on the horizonfutureTASbarry willisConrad-Johnson’s New LineupCT5/CT6 PreamplifiersLeveraging technology developed from the ACT2 linestage preamp, Conrad-Johnson brings its state of the art to moreaccessible price points. C-J’s new preamps feature “composite triode” circuitry and refined power-supply design. As implementedin the ACT2, each composite triode consists of “four paralleled sections of ultra-high-transconductance miniaturedual triodes,” according to the Fairfax, Virginia, company’s Web site. The CT5 boasts recently perfected Teflon CJD capacitorsthroughout the signal path. No electrolytic caps appearin any audio circuit. A functional design element, the clearLucite tube guard allows easy access for tube swaps.Prices: CT5, $7500; CT6, $4500conradjohnson.comMET1 Multichannel LinestageDesigned as the control center of a music lover’s multichannel system, the MET1 is a six-channel vacuum-tubeanalog preamplifier that accepts 5.1 analog outputs from any DVD, SACD, or universaldisc player, as well as providing a second set of multichannel inputs for use with a satellite receiver orcable box. C-J claims that the MET1’s pure analog signal path avoids redundant A/D and D/A conversionsand results in decidedly more musical reproductionand better retrieval of nuances from movie soundtracks.Capable of two-channel performance, theMET1 also offers 5.1-channel surround extracted froman original stereo input. Installation and operation aresimple and intuitive, according to the manufacturer.Price: $7500LP140M and LP70S Vacuum-Tube AmplifiersMore siblings than cousins, Conrad-Johnson’s LP140M monoblock and LP70S stereo amplifiers share both looks and circuitry,including a single triode voltage-amplifier stage direct-coupled to a cathode-coupled phase inverter, an ultralinearoutput stage, and Teflon CJD capacitors throughout the signalpath—their first appearance in tube amps, according to C-J. The 70-watt/channel LP70S uses one pair of matched6550 output tubes per channel; the 140-watt LP140Memploys two pairs. Four-ohm output impedance is standard,but either amp can be ordered for use with 2-, 4-,8-, or 16-ohm loads.Prices: LP140M, $6500/each or$13,000/pair; LP70S, $700016 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

futureTASAtlas Hyper Speaker CablesCopper is universally known as a great conductor, and Teflon is asuperb dielectric, but mating one with the other is a painstakingordeal. UK-based Atlas Cables and its suppliers claim to haveovercome heat-induced problems with the application of Teflonjacketing to copper cables, thereby maintaining processed copper’soxygen-free state. The result is said to be signal transmissionof exceptional “resolution and signal velocity.” Atlas’“Hyper” speaker cables come in four different sizes: 1.5 sq. mm(approx. 15AWG), 2.0 sq. mm (approx. 14AWG), and 3.0 sq.mm (approx. 12AWG). A bi-wire configuration combines 2.0 sq. mm and 1.1 sq. mm lines for optimum low- andhigh-frequency performance.Prices: 1.5 sq. mm, $17/meter; 2.0 sq. mm, $26/meter; 3.0 sq. mm,$34/meter; bi-wire, $43/meter hifi.org.ukClassé CA-5100 Five-ChannelPower AmpMontréal’s Classé Audio has expanded its highly regarded Deltaline with the CA-5100, a five-channel power amplifier rated at100 watts minimum/channel with all channels driven. Ideal for usewith higher-sensitivity loudspeakers, the CA-5100 has a “massivepower supply, enormous current reserves, and substantial lowimpedancedrive capability,” according to the maker. Circuit highlightsinclude separate power supplies for internal controls and ACmonitoring, as well as infrared control and DC-triggering. Inputsinclude balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) for each channel,selectable from the front panel or via the amplifier’s bi-directionalRS232 control, making the CA-5100 perfect for use in combinedpurist-audio/automated-home-theater installations.Price: $5000 classeaudio.comRotel EncyclopediaGot audio questions? Rotel’s got answers—almost300 pages of them in truly random-access format.The Rotel Home Theater and Hi-Fi Encyclopedia coverseverything from basic operating principles ofdynamic loudspeakers to deciphering acronymslike J-FET, HDCD, HDMI, MOSFET, and SACD.An ideal gift forthe audiophilewho has everything,the handysoft-cover bookincludes thousandsof entries onhome-entertainmenttechnology,many with fullcolorillustrations.Price: $29.95rotel.comSennheiser HD 201 and HD 215Long known for its premium mikes and headphones, Germany’s Sennheiser has introducedtwo models of the latter that promise sonic refinement at an affordable price. Both theHD 201 and HD 215 are closed “over-the-ear” designs said to deliver “extended,accurate response, impressive dynamic potential, and remarkable comfort,” whileclosing out ambient noise. The HD 201’s specified frequency response is21Hz–18kHz; the pro model HD 215 goes from 12Hz to 22kHz. The HD 215 featuresrotating earcups for one-eared listening—an occasional pro necessity. It also featuresa single-sided detachable/replaceable cable. Both models have 3.5mm stereoplugs, and come supplied with .25" adaptors. Manufacturer’s warranty: two years.Prices: HD 201, $24.95; HD 215, $149.95 sennheiserusa.com18 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

a b s o l u t e a n a l o gKuzma Stabi S Turntable with OutboardPower Supply and Stogi S TonearmChris MartensA soul-satisfying turntable and arm from Slovenia’s Kuzma.My dad, now retired, is amechanical engineer,and from looking overhis shoulder throughouthis career I learnedthat the field could be a strange andwonderful marriage of art and science.Great designers have a flair for creatingsolutions where practical mechanics andpleasing aesthetics become one, andwhere invention flows freely from aseemingly endless river of fresh ideas.Such is the case with the turntable andtonearm designs of the Slovenian engineerFranc Kuzma. In fact, if you linedup Kuzma’s products in a row theywould seem so different in concept andexecution that you might think each wasthe brainchild of a different man.Plainly, Kuzma is one of those rare individualswho can see and solve problemsfrom many different angles.Interestingly, though, it is one ofKuzma’s least costly and most deceptivelysimple designs that first catchesmany enthusiasts’ eyes: the minimalistStabi S belt-drive turntable and Stogi Shydraulically-damped unipivot tonearm.This elegant turntable and armlook quite striking, but their appearancegives only a hint of what’s in store whenlisteners hear them in action.The mission of any turntable is torotate records at precise and stablespeeds without introducing (or sustaining)noises or vibrations that could disruptthe playback process. We wantturntables to be dead quiet, and yet veterananalog enthusiasts recognize thatthere are subtle yet audible tonal-qualitydifferences in the backgroundsilences that various turntables produce.About now, you might be wondering ifsilences can even have tonal qualities,The single quality that most defines the Stabi Sis its ability to produce deep, quiet, ever-soslightly-warm-soundingbackgrounds.but I would argue they can and do.(Picture in your mind the differencebetween, say, the quiet of a church sanctuaryat midnight and the interior of awarehouse at that same hour, and you’llgrasp my point.)The single quality that most definesthe Stabi S is its ability to produce deep,20 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

quiet, ever-so-slightly-warm-soundingbackgrounds that remind me of the profoundhush you hear in a concert hall,just before the music begins. While theStabi S may not be quite as quiet as toptierKuzma models such as the StabiReference or Stabi XL, it makes a highlysatisfying alternative, and at a pricepoint normal mortals can handle.Performance is no doubt helped by theoutboard power-supply/speed-controlbox supplied with the deluxe version ofthe Stabi S that I tested. If the Stabi S’sbackground silence were a color, I’d callthat color a “warm black.” By contrast,most Clearaudio ’tables I’ve heard, andmany recent-generation VPIs as well,seem to produce an equally deep butcolder silence that I would characterizeas an icy “blue-black” backgroundbehind the music.One could probably build a case foreither background color, but I prefer theStabi S’s rendition of silence for twomusically defensible reasons. Its warmblack backgrounds are strongly reminiscentof those you might hear in livemusic venues. I find this quality helpspromote listening for the overall gestaltof the music, which—in my book—is agood thing. And this is really important:I find that the way individual notesemerge from and then decay back intothe Stabi S’s noise floor sounds muchmore natural and continuous than doesthe notes-stand-out-in-sharp-relief presentationof the colder-sounding ’tables.Does this mean the Stabi swallows orobscures transient information or finedetails? Certainly not. It’s just that theStabi S lets the information in the recordgrooves unfold in a natural way, withoutimparting even a hint of momentarilyexciting, but ultimately fatiguing transientzing. There are more “lively-sounding”’tables than the Stabi S on the market,but in many cases I can’t reconciletheir sound with that of live music.The Stogi S is a highly cost-effective,hydraulically-damped unipivot tonearmthat has the ability to unleash thestrengths of top-tier cartridges such asShelter’s 90X—cartridges that cost many22 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

The Stogi S is a highly cost-effective, hydraulicallydampedunipivot tonearm that has the ability tounleash the strengths of top-tier cartridges.times what the arm does. It enables cartridgesto produce bass that is energetic,deeply extended, and yet tightly focused.For instance, near the opening of“Overture—Cotton Avenue” from JoniMitchell’s Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter[Asylum], Jaco Pastorius strikes a subterranean,thunderclap-like note on an openbass-guitar string, and the StogiS/Shelter combo captures everything thatnote has to offer, including its fierceattack, richly modulated envelope, andlong, slow decay that rings with sustainedlow-frequency energy. Other goodarm/cartridge pairs I’ve heard typicallycan’t produce bass like this—bass thathits with sledgehammer force, yet speakswith vox humana expressiveness.At midrange and treble frequencies,the Stogi S facilitates the cartridge’s preciseand invigorating retrieval of transientand harmonic details, while at thesame time fostering an overall soundMore on the StogiThe Stogi S arm is a simple yeteffective unipivot design witha downward-facing spike thatrests in a bearing cup whose pivotpoint is located in the plane of therecord, minimizing warp-induced wow.The bearing cup is positioned in thecenter of a basin that gets partiallyfilled with silicone-oil damping fluidupon which the understructure of thearm “floats.” The arm features twobrass counterweights slung beneatha small tail-shaft; users rotate one orboth of the eccentrically mountedweights for basic azimuth adjustments,or adjust a weighted trimscrewfor finer azimuth tuning. TheStogi S provides a simple anti-skatingmechanism that audibly improvescartridge tracking.CMthat is graceful and smooth. I attributethis elusive combination of detail andsmoothness to the Stogi S’s damping system,and it is pure magic. For me, it wasa revelation to revisit classic CTI jazzrecordings from the 1970s, such asFreddy Hubbard’s Red Clay or Jim Hall’sConcierto, and the Stabi S/Stogi S pairproved a perfect “time machine,”unlocking incredibly fine timbral andtextural details in those old records in away no analog rig from the ’70s couldhave done. Hubbard’s trumpet andHall’s guitar just sound so right throughthe Stogi S/Shelter pair, with detailspouring forth as from a natural spring,without any artificial edge enhancementto mar the presentation.Finally, we come to my personalfavorite of the Stogi S’s characteristics;namely, it ability to help cartridges createrock-solid images and spectacularlythree-dimensional soundstages. Wheresome otherwise good arm/cartridgecombos struggle to produce images thatstay focused or soundstages that breakfree from the speakers or the dimensionsof the listening room, the StogiS/Shelter pair makes both tasks lookeasy. I almost fell off my couch when Ifirst heard the huge soundstages theStogi S produced, and then experiencedthe illusion of the near-physical presenceof instruments and performersupon those stages.This quality proved especiallygripping on the Quartetto Italiano performanceof the Dvorák American StringQuartet in F, Op. 96 [Philips], wherethe voices of the individual instrumentsrang true, not just because timbres wereaccurately reproduced, but also becausethe sizes (and shapes) of the instrumentswere rendered with almostsculptural precision. The sense of beingtransported to the recording site wascompelling thanks to a myriad smallWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 23

spatial cues that suggested I was in aspace whose acoustics differed fromthose of my listening room. And theperformers sounded eerily present andalive, in part because the arm/cartridgecaught subliminal details that capturedthe players moving in their chairs as theperformance progressed. The point isthat the Stogi S helps cartridges domany small things well, and thattogether those small things add up to aheightened sense of musical realism—agreater willingness on the listener’s partto suspend disbelief and simply get lostin the music.Where does the Stabi S/Stogi S fitin the broader spectrum of available’table/arm combos? At $3300, theKuzma slots in neatly between twolikely competitors, VPI’s $2500Scoutmaster and $5500 SuperScoutmaster. Because the Stabi S ’tableand Stogi S are minimalist designs it’seasy to miss their underlying sophistication,but a side-by-side comparisonbetween the Scoutmaster and theKuzma pair proves revealing. TheScoutmaster starts out with a priceadvantage, but to get it to match upevenly with the Kuzma rig you’d needto add VPI’s $999 outboard SDS powersupply (the Kuzma comes with an outboardsupply), an aftermarket “dropcounterweight” for the VPI arm (theKuzma has “drop counterweights”), adust cover (the Kuzma has one), andinterconnect cables to connect the VPIto your phonostage (the Kuzma featuresgenerously long cables whose“wires run in one uninterrupted piecefrom the headshell to the RCA plugs”).The closer you look the more valueyou’ll see in the Kuzma combo. Andconsider this: If you set aside the$1900 you’d save by buying the StabiS/Stogi S instead of VPI’s brilliant butcostly Super Scoutmaster, you’d be wellon your way toward the price of a statement-classphono cartridge such asShelter’s 90X.I thoroughly enjoyed the time Ispent with the Kuzma Stabi S/Stogi S,and I’m not looking forward to the daywhen it must be returned to its U.S. distributor.I’ll admit that I was skeptical ofthe design at first (I kept look at the’table and thinking, “Where’s the rest ofit?”), but the Kuzma’s quiet, clear, andnatural sound soon won me over, as didits ability to tap the enormous performancepotential of top-tier phono cartridges—somethingnot all ’table/armcombos in this price range can do. Butmaybe the most telling observation of allwas that, when I started spinning LPs onthe Kuzma, I never wanted my listeningsessions to end, which is why I gave theStabi S/Stogi S a TAS Golden Ear Awardin this issue.&SPECIFICATIONSKuzma Deluxe Stabi S turntableDescription: Suspension-less belt-driveturntable with outboard power supplySpeeds: 33.3 and 45rpm, electronicallycontrolledKuzma Stogi S tonearmDescription: 9" hydraulically-damped unipivottonearm with adjustable VTA,azimuth, and anti-skating mechanismASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTLinn Sondek LV-12/Ittok LVIIturntable/arm; Shelter 90X and BenzMicro ACE “L” phono cartridges; MusicalSurroundings Phonomena phonostage;Supex SDT-722 cartridge step-up transformer;Musical Fidelity kW500 integratedamplifier; Rogue Audio Metis preamplifier;NuForce Reference 9 and Channel IslandsAudio D-200 monoblock power amplifiers;Magnepan MG1.6 and Monitor AudioSilver Series RS6 loudspeakers; CardasNeutral Reference and PNF AudioIcon/Symphony interconnects and speakercables; RGPC 1200S power conditionerDISTRIBUTOR INFORMATIONTHE MUSIC.COM(800) 457-2577, Ext. 22kuzma.sithemusic.comPrices: Stabi S turntable, $2400;Stogi S arm, $90024 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

T A S J O U R N A LThe Quest for Great Sound on a $2000 Budget, Part 2Having discovered that salespeople at massmarketretailers like Best Buy and CircuitCity show a dismaying lack of knowledgeabout audio, I purchased three $2000 systems—fromthe West Coast electronics chainGood Guys, the online/mail-order operation Crutchfield,and the independent audio specialty shop Access to Musicin San Rafael, California. (See the previous installment fordetails about the shopping experience.)Stage Two of the experiment involved evaluatingthe systems for ease of setup and operation, and soundquality. As with the shopping, I tried to approach setupand operation from a novice’s perspective; however,there were minor glitches with all threesystems that could have presented dauntingproblems for beginners and that required me toshift character to “system expert” to fix.The listening experiment coincided with athree-week visit by my friend LeonidKorostyshevski—an engineer, lifelong andvery eclectic music fan, and audiophile of longexperience from Saratov, Russia. “Lenny”helped me set up and evaluate all the systemsand repack the gear when we were done. Iprinted up some score sheets, so that we couldmethodically rank audio performance (treble,midrange, bass, dynamics, imaging, pace),ergonomics, appearance, ease of setup, and easeof use. We used the same selection of recordings,played in generally the same order, tomaintain consistency—all of them commercialCDs, save for one CD-R encoded with MP3s. Amedium-sized, fully carpeted room off mykitchen served as the test area, with some of thefurniture moved out to make space for the audiogear and for two listening chairs. All the electronicswere plugged into an AudioPrismFoundation III line filter.Barry WillisThe second and final part of a report on the searchfor a great-sounding budget system.The Crutchfield SystemThe Crutchfield system—a Denon AVR-2805 home-theaterreceiver and DVM-1815 DVD/CD changer, Polk Monitor 60tower loudspeakers, and Polk PSW12 subwoofer—was the firstone we tackled. In cherry veneer with silver accents and detachableblack grilles, the Polks looked stylish, but felt insubstantial.The Denon AVR-2805 offers a lot of performance for themoney—in fact, it’s one I’ve recommended to folks wanting toput together a budget home-theater system—but its backpanel is completely and dismayingly encrusted with connectors.Lenny and I both commented that the complex back paneland perplexing operating options probably would have stymiedfirst-timers. Fortunately, the only connections needed were speakerwires (Monster XP2F HT-15—ordinary16-gauge zipcordwith gold-plated pinplugs), one optical cable to thedisc player, and an RCA cableto the subwoofer. Crutchfieldhadn’t supplied a cable for thesub—points off for that—andwe made do with a two-meterlength of coax scavenged froma box in my garage.With the electronicsbetween them, the Monitor60s stood about seven feetapart and 18" out from theback wall, with the subwooferon the inside of the left speaker.Aiming for the best bassextension with the smoothesttransition to the primaryspeakers, we set the sub’scrossover point, polarity, andlevel using Gregory Isaac’s“Night Nurse,” a bass-heavyPolk Audio Monitor 6026 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

“DVD player SUXX,” Lenny noted on his score sheet.reggae tune. We didn’t experiment with any of the receiver’smany synthetic soundfields or tonal-balance tweaks,sticking, instead, to basic stereo playback with the tonecontrols set to “flat.”That seemed to be the best evaluation technique andwas the one we followed with the other two systems, aswell. In all three cases, we placed the amp or receiver ontop of the disc player to dampen vibration and to makesure the heat-generating component would have adequateventilation. This counterintuitive setup, with a heaviercomponent on top of a lighter one, would probably notoccur to first-time users. CDs included rock, pop, jazz,and classical, with some—like discs of Kathleen Battle,Bernadette Peters, and Zemfira (the Suzanne Vega of Russia)—chosen for vocal clarity.Despite the simple hookup, the Denon electronics werebalky to use, a situation worsened by overly complicatedTHE SYSTEMSCrutchfield SystemDenon AVR-2805 home-theater receiver $809.99Denon DVM-1815 five-disc DVD/CD changer $269.99Polk Audio PSW12 100-watt powered subwoofer $299.99Polk Audio Monitor 60 loudspeakers $499.98Monster XP2F HT-15 speaker cables $24.99Monster ILS100 optical cable $39.99TOTAL $1944.93Good Guys SystemYamaha AX-596 integrated amp $549.99Yamaha CDC-685 CD changer $299.99Energy C7 birch/silver loudspeakers $899.98Monster Z1MT speaker cables with/bananas $74.99Monster IL400 Mk II interconnects $39.99Sales tax $139.11TOTAL $1934.05Access to Music SystemRotel RA-1062 integrated amplifier $699.00Marantz CC-4300 five-disc CD changer $249.00Bowers & Wilkins DM-602S3 loudspeakers $600.00Target FS50 20" metal speaker stands $99.00AudioQuest Type 6 speaker cables $136.00AudioQuest G-Snake interconnect $25.0012 gold-plated banana plugs $48.00Subtotal $1856.00Sales tax $143.84TOTAL $1999.84Denon AVR-2805remote controls—especially that of the disc player, whichseemed to cough and hiccup a bit with every disc change andevery move to a new track. Especially annoying was its lack ofdirect-track-access buttons on the front panel. (“DVD playerSUXX,” Lenny noted on his score sheet.) Unlike the Yamahaand Marantz players in the other two systems, it played MP3-encoded CD-Rs, a benefit for music fans with eclectic collectionsof downloads. Unlike its hefty companion receiver, theDenon disc changer felt flimsy. The Polk speaker system hadseemingly endless low-end potential but its high frequencieswere somewhat veiled, a characteristic that improved afterabout 15 minutes of warm-up.Both Lenny and I noted that even though the midrangewas prominent, the soundstage was shallow, appearing toextend no further than the front baffles of the speakers.Dynamics and pacing were good, however. We plowedthrough many great recordings—cuts from the ScottHamilton Quintet’s In Concert disc, recorded live in Tokyo’sYamaha Hall in 1983; the Dire Straits classic On Every Street;San Francisco jazz diva Kitty Margolis’ Left Coast Live; and violinistViktoria Mullova’s passionate performance of Vivaldi’sFour Seasons with Claudio Abbado conducting the ChamberOrchestra of Europe. In every case we were happy to sit thereabsorbed in the music without feeling in any way annoyed bythe performance—an indication that this system would probablyserve quite well for non-critical listeners. We both pronouncedit “not bad” at the end of the evening. That’s a backhandedcompliment, of course. Averaging our numerical scores(1–10 scale, with 1 equaling tolerable, 5 equaling good, and10 equaling excellent), the Crutchfield system rated a 4.0. Asin figure skating and gymnastics, the Russian judge tended tobe less forgiving than the American.The Good Guys SystemBudgeted almost equally between loudspeakers and electronics,this system mated a Yamaha CDC-685 CD changer and28 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

I printed up some score sheets, so that we couldrank performance, ergonomics, appearance,ease of setup, and ease of use.Yamaha AX-596 integrated amp, both of them understatedblack boxes in the traditional Yamaha style, with a pair ofEnergy C7 loudspeakers in birch veneer with silver accents.Salesman Gary Gordon supplied a one-meter pair of MonsterIL400 Mk II interconnects and a 10-foot pair of Monster Z1MTspeaker cables with gold-plated banana plugs.After attaching the decorative feet on the speakers, weplaced the C7s in approximately the same spots in the roomwhere the Polk monitors had stood. Although a design similarto the Polks (two-woofer two-way with front port) andonly slightly taller, the C7s were much more robustly built,and far heavier. (The banana plugs were a needless expensebecause neither the Energy speakers nor the Yamaha ampwould accept them—stripped bare wire was perfect.) We putthe AX-596 in “pure direct” mode and had at it. Despite thelack of subwoofer support, the C7s delivered a not-insignificantshare of deep bass—not as much as the Polk PSW12, ofcourse, but bass of surprising depth and impact. It seemedrich with bass-heavy pieces like “Night Nurse,” comparativelylean with some of Zemfira’s songs, and just right with DireStraits. Imaging was much better than with the Crutchfieldsystem—on most recordings, the soundstage seemed to lobefore and aft of the speakers. Dynamics were excellent, andtonal balance remained consistent regardless of how hard wepushed the system.Lenny and I both noted softness in the treble and a lack ofclarity in the upper midrange, a characteristic that would getthe system eliminated from the Blue Ribbon round at the audiophilecounty fair, but one that made for easy listening for longperiods. The soft upper end—attributable either to the C7s or30 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

to Yamaha’s “natural sound”—made music ofevery genre enjoyable, but not compelling.Lenny thought the overall presentation was“boring,” but I thought most novice listenerswould probably find it extremely pleasant. It’sthe kind of system that could play backgroundmusic all day at fairly loud levels withoutsounding intrusive or abrasive. Both theYamaha amp and disc changer were well madeand easy to use. The disc player, in particular,was a huge improvement over the Denon—quiet and responsive, with a tray that extendedall the way out so you could view all discs at once.Curiously, the CDC-685 recognized our MP3 disc andappeared to play it—the display’s counter indicated so—but produced no sound. The Yamaha remotes were a joyto use—slim and elegant, with the most important functionsobvious and easy to reach. I thought most new hi-fifans would be overjoyed with this system and gave it a bigthumbs-up. Lenny expressed some dissatisfaction with thesoft upper octaves and marked it down accordingly.Aggregate score: 5.5.The Access to MusicSystemJustifiably, we left this system until the end ofthe test run, expecting that it would probablyoutperform the others. It did, but not withoutsome effort on our part.Salesman Patrick Pack had included a pairof Target stands for the B&W 602S3 loudspeakers,front-ported designs with proprietary“silver” tweeters and Kevlar woofers. I pickedup the stands fully assembled, the pillars filledwith sand and four spots of Blu-tack adhesive on the topplates to secure the speakers. We placed the Rotel RA-1062 integrated amplifier atop the Marantz CC-4300five-disc CD changer, joined them with the shortAudioQuest G-Snake interconnect, plugged in the Type6 speaker cables, and fired it up.Our expectations of immediate gratification wereB&W DM-602S3WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 31

instantly shot down. The speakerssounded way too boomy. The solution:bringing them out farther into the roomand filling their ports with the foamrubberplugs supplied with the speakersby B&W, a cure mentioned in the multilingualowner’s manual. Plugging theports eliminated the booming bass butalso altered the speakers’ overall bassresponse, changing the 602’s fromrowdy rock ’n’ roll party animals topolite recital performers. A series ofvocal and instrumental recordings led toanother revelation. The midrange wasinexplicably predominant, more so thancould be explained by room acoustics orchoice of recordings. “Something’s notright here,” I grumbled.Although it took us outside our selfimposedrestrictions on approaching thesetup as much like beginners as possible,we had no choice but to experiment withthe interconnect. Replacing the G-Snakewith the Monster IL400 Mk II from theYamaha/Energy system brought everythinginto focus: bass, mids, highs, depth,width, impact, and detail. Imagingimproved substantially, and after somecareful tweaking of speaker placement,the system really began to sing.Once we got the system balanced—atask that Patrick, to his credit, volunteeredto do when I first made the purchase—itsounded wonderful, deliveringthe essential soul of the music, and thedimensionality of recordings, in a waythat the other two systems hadn’t. Vocalsand instrumentals alike had air aroundthem rather than being confined in thespace between two loudspeakers. Whilenot capable of creating a fully immersivesoundfield the way more elaborate systemscan, the Marantz/Rotel/B&W setupoffered more than a taste of true high-endaudio. The fact that it could easily resolvedifferences between interconnects is proofof this. Prior to replacing the G-Snake,Lenny actually rated this system worsethan either of the other two, and I had itbetween them. We assumed that hadPatrick come out to the house andtweaked the system, he would have experimentedto find the right interconnect.We felt that replacing it was within therules of the game, and gave the system arevised aggregate score of 6.5.Of course, once we had finished evaluatingall three, we couldn’t resist doinga little mixing ’n’ matching. The mostsubstantial improvement was simply32 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

hooking up the Polk PSW12 subwooferto the Marantz/Rotel/B&W system. TheRotel RA-1062 integrated amp doesn’thave a subwoofer output, but it doeshave preamp out, and we used a pair oftwo-meter Nordost Quattro-fil interconnectsto hook it up to the sub’s line-levelinputs. The irony of using interconnectsmore expensive than the rest of the systemcombined wasn’t lost on us.As has proven true every time I’vedone it, the addition of low-frequencyreinforcement took the system to anentirely new level of performance, withbetter perceived dynamics, impact, pace,and imaging. It was enough to convinceLenny that a subwoofer should be his nextaudio investment. As Sterling Trayleexplained to me when he was at Sumiko:“A good sub doesn’t need to draw attentionto itself. It should energize the room,and establish an optimum acoustic environmentfor the main speakers.” The PolkPSW12 is a great subwoofer for themoney: a $300 addition to a $2000 systemelevated it from merely “good” todarn near excellent. Stretching a budgetjust a little bit can yield wonders.Moral of the story: The best valuesand best service are still to be found intraditional brick-and-mortar specialtyaudio stores. Helping customers select asystem, set it up, find the optimal interconnects,and install and tweak a subwooferare the kinds of services youshould expect from a specialty audioshop like Access to Music. They’re inbusiness to help people enjoy music.Big retailers like Best Buy and CircuitCity are in the commodities business,moving mass quantities of goods atsmall margins, with little concern forcustomer service. Mid-sized chains likeGood Guys are disappearing, and withthem salespeople and service techs withdecades of experience. In fact, betweenthe time the first installment of this featurewent to press and the writing ofthis follow-up (late October), GoodGuys’ corporate parent CompUSAannounced that the 30-year-old chainwould be shuttered by mid-December.By the time this story sees daylight,Good Guys will simply be one morecasualty of corporate mismanagement.That’s all the more reason why musiclovers should patronize independentshops in their own communities. As thebumper sticker wisdom has it: Thinkglobally, act locally.&WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 33

with the R going in the wrong direction, you know, like “ToysR Us” [chuckles], and then she wrote,” Thank you for MahlerNinth. I loved it. Signed, Katrina, age 5.”So, you see, this music is available to literally everybody, ifwe pay attention. I think Mahler himself would have beenincredibly touched by that idea. I mean, it would have movedhim to his core to think that a piece like that could have beensomehow, at some level, been grasped by a five-year-old. Forhim, that would have been the ultimate joy, I think.TAS: So now you’re doing for the rest of us what the aunt did forher niece.BZ: It’s thrilling that, through this method, we can increase theaudience so many fold. Whereas most people are in a state ofdespair about classical music, thinking, you know, it’s all hopelessand people are moving away from it and the orchestras areclosing and all that, I think that’s so off the mark I can’t tellyou. I think we ain’t seen nothing yet.TAS: Well, if everyone had your ability as a pedagogue, wewould agree. Have you given any thought to doing a series oflectures like the ones you’ve included with the Mahler symphonieswith other music?BZ: Actually, I have. It’s something I’m a little waryabout talking about it because I don’t know quite howit’s going to be received. I think I’d better say no moreat this point.TAS: If and when this does come to pass, you have to let us know.BZ: Yep, I will. You know there are so many pieces that coulduse a little explanation. We just came back from tour—I wasjust on tour in South America with my youth orchestra—andwe played an incredible program. We did the RhapsodieEspagnole of Ravel; we did Strauss’ Don Quixote, and The Rite ofSpring [laughs]. With the Don Quixote, we had the story up ona screen above the stage, and everything that happened, everyscene that happened…there it was, up on a screen in Spanish(and in Brazil, of course, in Portuguese), so everybody couldfollow exactly.WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 37

TAS: SurCaps for orchestral music!BZ: Yeah, and it was wonderful because the music is so specificthat you can provide an exact representation of the emotionsand the events in words. And, of course, who in the audiencecan remember the entire story? Even we professionals forgetwhat’s happening in Petrouchka. I want to get all this stuff onthe Internet—with the explanations. And nowadays, withmodern technology, iPods and so on, we have means of distributionthat have never been available before.My assumption is if we can get people hooked on this stuff—and it is like a drug; I mean, there’s no question about it, classicalmusic is a drug—perhaps we can get them back into the concerthall. I’ve got an iPod now and I just love it. You put goodnoise-blocking earphones on, and you can cut out all the othersounds in the world. And once we get kids, people, to experiencethis music, and then learn something about it—know what’sgoing on—they’ll get involved. They’ll think “this classicalmusic is about my life,” and then of course they’ll want to hearmore; they’ll want to come to the concerts and come to the halls.In addition we’ve got to transform the way we play music,because we’re much too complacent in the classical music business.We play as if the meanings didn’t matter and that peoplewould get them anyway. But it’s like story telling: Unless youput some effort into telling the story, why will the audience beinterested? That’s what I do as a teacher, and of course I havehundreds of students that I’m training to transform their attitudetowards playing. The way they’re trained to play is to becareful—to put on a good showing and play in tune and time.Nobody mentions the fact that they’re not expressing the music,and the result is the audience is turned off. But if they play withall their heart, they’ll play like Jackie du Pré [cellist Jacquelinedu Pré] used to play. She was passionate about the audience—that’s what she was mainly passionate about. She wanted to giveit away. And that’s the secret. It’s like When Harry Met Sally, youknow? You want the audience to say, “Whatever they’re having,I want that.” That’s the secret. And if we don’t look as thoughwe’re having a wonderful time and really pouring our heart andsoul into the music, the way that the pop musicians do on MTV,how do you think we’re gonna get people to want to come to theconcerts? It’s not their fault; it’s ours if they’re not coming.So that’s the message. Some people, of course, get it fantasti-38 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

cally well. You go to Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road concert, and the audiencegoes completely crazy because the people on stage are havingsuch a wonderful time. And that’s the secret. We’ve got totrain a new generation of people who are not scared of music orperforming, but who find it the most natural thing and the mostjoyous expression. There’s a wonderful story of Jacqueline du Pré.When she was five years old, she went in for a competition, andshe was seen running down the corridor carrying her cello in avery exuberant kind of way with a big smile on her face, and oneof the mothers saw her and thought she must have just playedbecause she looked so relieved. She said, “Well, I can see you’vejust played.” And Jackie said, “No, we’re just about to!”That’s the secret, that’s the whole secret, and yet we’ve terrorizedour young musicians so much with the competitionsand with the grading and, you know, just making them feel soscared that they can’t take risks; they can’t be true musiciansbecause they’re so anxious. You can see it on their faces whenthey play, and so the people in the audience look at them andsay, “Oh, well, it must be a miserable activity.”I have two orchestras that I play with regularly. One is thisyouth orchestra and the other is the Boston Philharmonic, andyou go into their concerts and you see people having the mostwonderful time you can have with their clothes on. I meanthey’re just having a great time. We were recently in Venezuelaand I don’t know if you know about the Venezuelan orchestras,but those people look as though they’re in ecstasy when they’replaying, and the reason is that they’ve been taken out of thegreatest poverty and deprivation, and given musical instruments,and taught how to play them, and made to feel thatthere’s a life available to them through music, and they seemalways in a state of ecstatic joy when they’re playing. And sowe’ve got a long way to come back, but I don’t think we shouldblame the audience. I think we should do everything possibleto transform ourselves, both by training and helping the audience,but also by the way we are. Am I explaining that right?TAS: You’re explaining it just fine.BZ: If we can transform ourselves, we classical musicians,into joyous, living, breathing, life-giving forces formusic, then we’ll find people gather around; they’ll wantto be part of that.&WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 39

The Absolute Sound’s 2OO5Golden Ear AwardsWelcome to the latest edition of The Absolute Sound’s Golden Ear Awards. Unlike last issue’s comprehensiveEditors’ Choice list, Golden Ears is the place where our editors and most frequent contributorschoose the components that, whether long-term or newfound favorites, have won a specialplace in our hearts. The assignment came with no guidelines or restrictions, and, as you mightexpect, the results are as wide-ranging and unpredictable as the high end itself. Note: Harry Pearson’s GoldenEar winners may be found in HP’s Workshop, page 99.SALLIE REYNOLDSMusical Fidelity A5 CD player$2500 (signalpathint.com)Spendor S8e loudspeaker$3000 (qsandd.com)Prima Luna Prologue Three preamplifier and Five amplifier$1295 each (upscaleaudio.com)Musical Fidelity’s A5 CD player is musical, exciting,clear, extended, and balanced. It produces anextraordinarily broad, deep, and high soundstage,when soundstaging information is on the CD. Itshighs are sweet and pure, its mids rich and natural,its bass extended and full, yet tight and precise. Itreveals the wonderfully rich layers of complex music in away that sounds natural—which, in my experience, isunusual in reproduced sound at anywhere near this price—and it does so without picking the fabric of the musicalwhole to pieces. The A5 looks good, is easy to set up andreliable, and plays beautifully in every system I have tried itin, modest and not so. A nearly perfect component. (Ibought it.)Every now and then, a component comes along thatclicks into place in your system and makes you veryhappy with your music. The Spendor S8e loudspeaker (atwo-way floorstanding model), among the heirs to the BBCmonitors of yore, did this for me. Spendors have long beenknown for their gorgeous midrange and treble. The S8ehas, in addition, clean, clear, dramatic bass—even low bass.Without a subwoofer, it reproduces even full pipe organsoul-satisfyingly. With a good sub, you will get clearer andpurer low lows, but even without, such is the balance andpurity of these drivers, you will love what you hear. TheS8es also recreate a wide, deep soundstage, one whoseheight is especially good with singers. The stage is at itsbest when the listener is in the sweetspot, but you can really be anywhere inthe room and get a sense of being surroundedand enveloped in glorious music.The transition from driver to driver isbeautifully inaudible. These speakers areeasy to set up. They do not require megabuckancillary equipment, though thefiner the equipment you connect to them,the better everything sounds. In a pricefield that contains several lovely speakers,there is still something mysteriouslywonderful about these, and I wouldn’twant to be very long without them.The PrimaLuna Prologue Three preamp and Five poweramp are at the top of my list for good sound, good value, andsimplicity. They are also good fun, if you like playing withtubes (they are built to accept many types, including the EL-34), but you don’t need to play with tubes. You can be a completetube neophyte and enjoy these units. They fill theroom with exquisite sound, from the whisper of a strokedcymbal or muted violin to the foundation thunder of a greatorgan. That’s the key. The ProLogues make music; theymake it simply; they make it well.They are also easy to set up, nearly indestructible, and playexcellently with a variety of speakers. If you like tubes, listento these. They will confirm your tastes. If you don’t like tubes,listen to these. They will change your mind about tubes.40 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

JONATHAN VALINMBL 101 E “Radialstrahler”$46,900 (mbl.com)MBL 6010 D linestage preamp$18,920MBL 9011 monoblock amplifier$73,480Audio Research Reference 3 linestage preamp$10,000 (audioresearch.com)Audio Research Reference 210 monoblock amplifier$19,990Edge NL Signature 1.1 linestage preamp$10,900 (edgeamps.com)Edge NL 12.1 stereo amplifier$18,500Afew years ago I recommendedthreedifferent systemsbuilt around thesame exemplaryloudspeaker—the Maggie1.6QR. For this year’sGolden Ears, I’m going todo the same thing: Awardmy Ears to a single speakersystem and three differentsets of electronics. Thespeaker is the MBL 101 E“Radialstrahler,” the fabledominidirectional loudspeakerfrom WolfgangMeletzky. Not only is the101 E a stunning technologicaltour-de-force andbeautiful object, it is thesingle most-lifelike transducerI’ve heard. I could goon about the 101 E’s phenomenallow-level resolution,uncannily realistictreble, “you-are-there” midrange, and extraordinary bass—but what the 101 E really offers that no other loudspeakerdoes to the same degree is excitement.Like live music heard in a concert hall, recital room, orrock club, the 101 Es will consistently raise the gooseflesh onyour arms, the hairs at the back of your neck, the muscles thatset your feet tapping and your baton arm swinging—as anyonewho has auditioned these incredibly cool-looking thingsat a CES or CEDIA can attest. They’re simply more alive thanthe competition, even the horn-based competition.My first 101 E system, and overall much the best ofthe lot, is all-MBL, comprising the MBL 6010 D solid-statelinestage preamplifier and MBL 9011 solid-state monoblockamplifiers. Whether your source is digital or analog, MBL’spreamp and amp bring out more of the 101E’s many astonishingqualities better than its rivals—and in two particularinstances, much better. Nothing I’ve yet heard competeswith the resolution and sensational dynamic range of thisMBL gear. In combination with each other and the 101 Es,the 6010 D and 9011 dig more deeply into pianissimos andplay fortissimos with greater ease and clarity than virtuallyany hi-fi I’ve heard.All this paradigm-shifting resolution and dynamic lifecomes at a steep price, however. Which leads me to my second101 E system, the tube-powered Audio ResearchReference 3 linestage preamp and Reference 210 monoblockamplifiers. I’ve been talking about Audio Research preampssince the first review I wrote for TAS, and I am pleased to saythat ARC’s latest is also its greatest—neutral, detailed,focused, fast, “pure,” and grainless, with less resolution,extension, and dynamic oomph but more lifelike timbresand better staging than the MBL 6010. As good as it is onits own, in combinationwith the Reference 210the Ref 3 becomes aworld-beater. The MBLelectronics had pushedme over to the DarkSide of solid-state, thenI heard the References.Now…well, if themusic you listen to isprimarily acoustic andif soundstaging isimportant to you, thisARC combo is a mustaudition.My third 101 E systemis the Edge NLSignature 1.1 batterypoweredlinestage preampand NL 12.1 stereoamplifier. If MBL andARC (to a somewhatlesser extent) give you amicroscopically fineview of the soundstage,the Edge preamp and amp gives you an “exploded” view,where certain instruments rich in upper midrange harmonics(like strings and piano) seemed to be reproduced“closer-up.” Big, bloomy, airy, and beautiful-sounding,the Edge doesn’t have the speed, detail, and bottomoctaveclout of the MBL electronics nor the magical stagingof the ARC combo, but is still so lifelike in the midbandthat the losses may not matter to you. They don’tmuch to me. But then I could live happily with any ofthese combos.42 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

PAUL SEYDORSME Model 30/2 integrated turntable$35,000 (sumikoaudio.net)McIntosh MC275 Series IV amplifier$3500 (mcintoshlabs.com)Etymotic ER-4S headphones$330 (etymotic.com)If ever therewere a statement product,the SME Model 30/2 is it. As Ipointed out in my review (Issue 154), SME’sAlastair Robertson-Aikman applies the principles ofhigh mass, tuned suspension, and judiciously applied dampingmore effectively than anyone else. Pair it with an appropriatepickup (medium-to-high mass and compliance) andyou have playback of vinyl sources that is virtually peerless,especially in the areas of overall background-blackness,dynamic range, and that elusive quality of liveness. It goeswithout saying that it is also dead neutral, tonally accurate,and wholly without personality as such. At $35,000 (includingSME’s flagship arm), it is expensive beyond expensive(though by no means the highest ticket out there); butshould you be fortunate enough to own one, I have no doubtthat if vinyl is still being played a hundred years from nowyour heirs will be enjoying it on your Model 30.I have never heard a better tube amplifier thanMcIntosh’s reissued and updated MC275 Series IV, and fewbetter amplifiers period. If you think tubes must have asonic personality, the extraordinary neutrality and tonalnaturalness of this one may shake your prejudices to theirfoundations. With enough power for all but very inefficientspeakers in very large rooms, the MC275 yields some of themost musically persuasive and satisfying reproductionyou’re ever likely to hear. Consider this a recommendationwith highest possible enthusiasm.If you use conventional headphones in a typical large,urban gymnasium, with its Muzak blaring all the time,and you play your CD portable or iPod loudly enough tobe heard over the ambient noise, then you are almost certainlydamaging your ears. The same may be true for airlinetravel. Alarmist? Think again—hearing damage hasbecome so pervasive that in the past year alone bothmajor news magazines,Time andNewsweek, have runcover stories on the subject.Etymotic is not theonly company to make earphonesthat fit directly into theear canal, but it is arguably theone with the solidest credentials.For over 20 years this company hasbeen researching, designing, and manufacturing productsto measure, improve, and protect hearing (with 89patents and a government grant for research).The main reason why headphones such as this militateagainst hearing damage is that they block out ambientnoise more effectively than conventional designs—23dB with the ER-4S—thus allowing you to play themusic at a lower level, which you should be doing anyhow.The ER-4S is perhaps the most musically naturalheadphone I’ve heard. They’re a little shy in the bass(although bass response, as with all headphones, is greatlyaffected by how you fit them on, or in this case into,your ears), but the highs are extended yet smooth andsweet (rather tube-like, in fact), with none of the tippedupcharacter of conventional headphones, even the bestof them. And the midrange is rich and detailed.A lifelong runner, I passed the age of 55 and had toadmit that my hip joints no longer liked pounding thepavement. So I’ve had to get my aerobic workouts ingyms. The ER-4S came as such a revelation that I can’timagine life without them. Headroom’s Airhead portableheadphone amplifier is a logical companion, and willblow away the tinny amplifier wannabes that come inportable CD players and iPods. Highest possible recommendation,then, for both products: sonically and for thehealth of your ears!44 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

SUE KRAFTB&W 800D loudspeaker$20,000 (bwspakers.com)McCormack DNA-500 amplifier$6800 (mccormackaudio.com)My first pick for Golden Ear honors this year goesto the B&W 800D. This state-of-the-art loudspeakerwill forever change the way you hearrecorded music. Our brain processes live(unamplified) music as a whole entity because,obviously, that’s the way we hear it. With the vast majorityof multi-driver loudspeaker systems, the playback ofrecorded music—whether we are consciously aware of itor not—is processed in sections, because that’s also theway it’s typically heard. The diamond-dome tweeter technologyof the 800D so intricately weaves the high frequenciesback into the fabric of the music, it’s as if thewholeness of the live event has been recreated. Thiswholeness results in spectacularly solid, seamless, andlifelike images—the best I’ve heard to date. It’s almost abit eerie at times. The varying heights of performers onstage, for example, are so clearly discernable I’ve beentempted on occasion to jaunt up to the front of the roomand draw outlines around them. Although this breathtakingwholeness of imaging was initially whatcaptivated me, I found the performance ofthe 800D to be equally stunning inevery other regard as well. The capabilityof this loudspeaker to compellinglyrecreate musical performancesranging from the delicateintricacies of a solo piano tothe brute force of a full orchestrawas nothing less than aweinspiring.Never mind thedrop-dead-gorgeous looksof these 275-poundbeasts. This is the firsttime in over 20 yearsthat non-audiophile visitorsto my home haveactually wanted to hearmy system. B&W is atechnology-driven companythat leaves noaspect of a speaker’sdesign to chance, andthe 800D is truly thecrowning jewel of thatphilosophy.My next Golden Earpick goes to theMcCormack DNA-500(500 watts per channel)solid-state power amplifier. If I were to make a list of thecomponents I’ve missed the most since (sadly) having tosend them packing after a review, the DNA-500 wouldstand alone at the top. HP has long said it’s all about thedynamics, and he couldn’t be more right. Have you everwalked by the open door of a bar and immediately beenable to tell that the music coming from within was live?Have you thought about the reasons why? Above all else,it’s boundless energy and through-the-roof dynamicsthat allow us to immediately identify a live performance.I can recall the words “buoyancy” and “bounce”coming to mind every time I listened to the DNA-500,and still I worried that my description of what I washearing would not do this amp justice. That’s thetoughest part of this job, trying to convey what I’mhearing and feeling and attempting to relate the mentalimages I experience as I’m listening. Sometimes wordsand descriptions make no sense unless you’ve actuallyheard the equipment for yourself. The word “liveliness”doesn’t begin to do this amp justice. It’ssimple to see why designer SteveMcCormack has garnered such a stellarreputation and loyal customer followingover the years. The DNA-500’sexquisite balance between liquidease and raw power makes mostother solid-state amps soundmechanical and sterile in comparison.It would be hard toimagine any serious musiclover not being taken inby the easygoing yetauthoritative nature ofthis gentle giant. Icould easily recite alaundry list of all theother things the DNA-500 does right, butmore than anythingelse, it’s the buoyancy,the bounce—theeffortless energy andspark of life from within—thattouched mysoul and captured theessence of live musicfor me.46 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

CHRIS MARTENSUsher Dancer CP8571 MkII loudspeaker$7735 (usheraudio.com)NuForce Reference 9 monoblock amps$2500 (nuforce.com)Kuzma Stabi S turntable and Stogi S tonearm$3300 (themusic.com)The veteran audiophile played one reference recordingafter another through the Usher DancerCP8571 MkII floorstanding loudspeaker. He wasquiet, so I couldn’t tell whether his impressionswere favorable or not. Finally, the veteran—who wasno stranger to loudspeakers priced at five figures per pair—turned and softly asked, “How much did you say these cost?”“Around $7700 per pair,” I replied. My guest nodded slowlyand then said, “You know, if you had told me these speakerscost $20,000 I’d have said, ‘That’s a good price for them,considering their sound and build-quality.’ But at thisprice….” The Taiwanese-made Dancer, a design shaped byDr. Joseph D’Appolito, is by no means inexpensive, but it isso good that listeners invariably compare it to speakers severaltimes its price. Here’s why. The Dancer offers essentiallyfull-range sound, with highs produced by one of thesmoothest yet most articulate tweeters you could ever hopeto hear, an open-sounding midrange with explosive dynamics,punchy yet finely-textured bass, and the sort of overarchingsoundstage focus that is rare at any price. Factor inUsher’s stunning woodwork and you have a loudspeaker thatpleases in many of the ways that Wilson Audio’sWATT/Puppies do, but at a fraction of the price. For audiophileswho aspire to owning top-tier loudspeakers, butwhose ships have not yet come in, Usher’s Dancer offers serioussonic excellence and tremendous value.When I was a child I loved the story of David andGoliath, and there are many things about NuForce’sReference 9 monoblock power amps that remind me of thatstory. These 160-watt Class D amps are small and affordable,and look unassuming, but they open up a giant can of sonicwhoop-ass on most amps their price, and they sound betterthan many that cost more. The Reference 9s are exceedinglytransparent yet not bright, and they offer potent and expressivedynamics, excellent soundstage width and depth, andworld-class bass. What’s not to like? Well, the amps generallydon’t deliver the holographic, illuminated-from-withinmidrange of the best tube amps, and they can at timesexhibit an accurate-to-a-fault, garbage-in/garbage-out quality.But once you hear the way the NuForces uncover previouslyunheard nuances in your favorite recordings, I thinkyou’ll be hooked. Will other modern Class D designs soundas good as, or perhaps better than, the NuForces? Maybe,but for now the Reference 9s establish a new benchmark foraffordable excellence in amplification.Lately I’ve been doing a lot of listening to the simplebut sophisticated Kuzma Stabi S turntable and Stogi Sunipivot tonearm from Slovenia, and the combination hasreally won my heart and mind. As many analog loversknow, the tonal quality of background silences variesfrom turntable to turntable, and the Stabi S produces adeep, warm, black background that reminds me of thehush you might hear in a concert hall just before themusic begins. In turn, the Stogi S is a minimalist butvery effective design that can unleash the formidable performancepotential of great moving coils such as theShelter 90X. In particular, the Stogi S promotes absolutelyeffortless and highly holographic soundstaging, lettinghigh-frequency details come through without edgeenhancement, while providing a wonderfully solid bassfoundation. But perhaps the truest indicator of theKuzma pair’s sonic goodness lies in the fact that wheneverI start spinning favorite LPs on this rig, I just can’tseem to stop. If that’s not analog magic, what is? (See fullreview elsewhere in this issue.)48 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

ROBERT E. GREENEGradient Revolution active loudspeaker$7645 (mayaudio.com)McIntosh XRT28 loudspeaker$19,000 (mcintoshlabs.com)TacT Audio RCS 2.2X/Allison 3/Harbeth Monitor 40corner woofer system$3990 (tactaudio.com)is everything.” No doubtwe all admire the rococo variationsof high-end audio electronics,but to my mind the really fundamentalissues of audio are “Acousticsspeakers in rooms and, of course, recordings.Experiments have shown that speakers, togetherwith a good amplifier, can accomplish somethingremarkably like facsimile reproduction, ifyou listen anechoically. Pick up the speaker outputwith a good microphone in an anechoicchamber, and it’s hard to tell that pickup of theamplifier-speaker combination from the originalsignal when you listen to it later on eitherspeakers or headphones. The direct arrival can,in short, be almost perfect. But preserving thisperceived accuracy in actual listening rooms isdifficult indeed.My three choices this year are allattempts at solving that fundamental problemof audio—making a speaker that is unaffectedby the listening room’s acoustics.None is perfect, but all three are unusuallyeffective at letting you hear what is really onthe record—and nothing else.In theory, one of the very best ways tomake a speaker that ignores the acoustics ofthe listening room is to have dipole radiationin the bass, but in the treble to have forwardradiation only in a uniform but relativelynarrow pattern. This theoretical dream wasrealized some years ago by the GradientRevolution. With its dipole bass and cardioidforward radiation, it was and is aremarkable success at ignoring its surroundings(and sounding neutral in nearly anyenvironment). The original model has beenrecently supplemented by a new version witha line-level electronic crossover. This design,which requires bi-amplification, allowscrossover adjustment of the bass level tofit room size and acoustics. If high bassdynamic capability is desired and/or thespeaker is used in a large room, thenthe bass units can be doubled up—two (ormore) can be used per channel. TheRevolution, even with extra bass units, isquite compact, but it is a giant in soundquality.With woofers on the floor and a highlydirectional array of midranges and tweetersabove, the McIntosh XRT28 makes thedirect-arrival sound surprisingly dominantover all subsequent reflections and reverberation.The speaker is not completelysmooth and flat in the top end, but thatquibble aside, it projects you into therecording venue like few others. With agood orchestral recording and in the right(somewhat restricted) listening position, itis closer to “being there” than you mighthave thought possible. The listening roomaround you is quite nearly gone, replacedby the recorded venue.Decades ago, Roy Allison pointed outdefinitively to the audio world thatwoofers belong in corners—not just subwoofersbut woofers. Unfortunately, afull-range speaker in a corner tends todevelop colorations from the wall loadingand has imaging difficulties fromearly reflections. Enter the TacT concept:Woofer in the corner, digitallytime-delayed main speaker out in theroom, the TacT RCS 2.2X doing thecrossover at 200Hz and DSP in-roomresponse correction of the whole thing.The particular speakers used are not thepoint, but it was a pleasure to realizeAllison’s vision with his own speaker.The result is a completely coherent systemthat combines the imaging of outin-the-roomspeakers with the bass ofcorner-loading, nearly eliminating theeffect of the listening room. Hearingis believing.50 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

NEIL GADERPlinius 9200 integrated amplifier$4095 (pliniusaudio.com)ATC SM20-2 speaker$5500 (atc.gb.net)REL Britannia B3 subwoofer$2195 (sumikoaudio.net)Accuphase DP-57 CD player$4900 (accuphase.com)Plinius CD-101 CD player$4495 (pliniusaudio.com)Plinius electronics and ATC speakers are two companiesthat have figured strongly in my reference system,but the competition has been steadily closing inand this venerable duo was lately looking a bit longin the tooth. For this writer the last half of 2005 willbe remembered as the moment both responded to the challengecon brio. With the introduction of the Plinius 9200integrated amplifier and the ATC SCM20-2 compact monitorspeaker, liquidity and transparency were lovingly restoredas the rules of the day. At a conservatively rated 200Wpc thePlinius 9200 is more settled in the mids and plainly quieter(the noise floor has been lowered) than in either of its previous8150/8200 iterations. Always a sprinter in terms of transientsand dynamic responsiveness, the latest version hasremoved the vestigial sting that sometimes crept into the trebleon hard transients, without sacrificing perceived speedand energy. At the other end of the frequency range, bass definitionhas been improved and now matches the class-leadingbass extension that the Plinius has always possessed. Still agreat value, especially in light of the newly improvedphonostage that is still standard equipment.In another fit of evolution and true intelligent design,British-based ATC has further refined the venerableSCM20SL. The warmish coloration in the mid/upper basshas been exorcised—non-parallel sidewalls and a stiffer compositecabinet are the main heroes here. The significantlyextended soft-dome tweeter is all new for this model, havingbeen adapted from ATC’s futuristic flagship, the SCM70SL.The net result is an openness and honesty that trumps eventhe substantial gifts of its forebear. Mind you, this is not afull-range loudspeaker, but its excellent response into themidbass makes it a prime contender for pairing with aworld-class subwoofer—anything less would undermine theprodigious charms of this studio-caliber monitor.That theoretical subwoofer would first and foremostneed to speak with the same voice as the SCM20-2, i.e., withauthority as well as speed and subtlety. The REL BritanniaB3 (the smallest of three models designed for both musicand movies) fills the ATC’s dance card like few pairings outsideof Fred and Ginger. Optimizing the REL for the satelliteand room takes a bit of experimentation, but therewards are well worth the effort. The B3 doesn’t overlay itsown personality on the music. At times it doesn’t seem to bedoing much of anything. When there’s no deep bass, you’llwant to check whether the B3 is plugged in. But when itgets the call, the B3 unleashes the dogs with response that isat once spectacular, naturalistic, and nearly limitless. Itsexpansiveness almost redefines the scope and scale of the listeningspace. And it never becomes the center of attentionlike lesser subwoofers—the music remains the central event.As with all REL subs it doesn’t high-pass the main speakers,so you’ll need to be certain they have the intrinsic oomphand dynamism to run full-range.Finally I would be remiss in not mentioning a pair ofCD players that sprinted across the finish line in a dead heat.Both the Accuphase DP-57 and the Plinius CD-101 weresurpassingly musical performers with distinctive personalities.The former, soothingly warm, refined, and naturalistic,sang like a rare acoustic instrument. The latter, rhythmicallypropulsive, was a bit cooler yet stunningly dynamic andtransparent. Both of these players left me in the samequandary I often found myself in analog’s “olden days,”when trying to choose between phono cartridges. LP junkiesalways had at least a couple on hand. In a perfect world I’down both of these CD players, too.52 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

WAYNE GARCIARedpoint Audio Model B turntable$11,000 (redpoint-audio-design.com)Artemis Labs LA-1 linestage and PL-1 phonostage$2850 and $3350 (aydn.com)Balanced Audio Technology VK-55 amplifier$3995 (balanced.com)Kharma Ceramique Reference Monitor 3.2 speaker$21,500 (gttgroup.com)Though it’s only a few years old, Redpoint Audioseems destined for great things in analog. The company’sModel B, a 150-pound, 3-pod design, hasbeen my reference for the better part of the past year,and it is easily the finest-sounding turntable I’veused. That’s not to say I’ve heard ’em all, or that a few of thefinest—such as the Rockport and Walker—might not be“better.” But when paired with the Tri-Planar VII arm (andI’m sure others, as well), the Model B delivers music againsta devilishly low noise floor, with a huge dynamic spectrum,terrific weight, exceptional resolution, and magical spatialqualities. Record after record has been not just a revelation,but tremendously fun and satisfying.Another relative newcomer, Artemis Labs was my surprisediscovery of the year. The handmade LA-1 linestage andPL-1 phonostage are tube-driven components, and theysound distinctly so in the best sense of that phrase. Extremelyairy and holographic, this gear brings a great sense of physicalshape and presence to instruments and voices. And whilethese designs also excel at harmonic, textural, and dynamicnuance, and have an effortless sense of dynamic projection,what’s harder to describe is the sheer spine-tingling beautyand aliveness the Artemis gear brings to music. The company’sfirst amp is in the works—stay tuned.While Balanced Audio Technology makes many finecomponents, and I’ve heard and reviewed my fair share ofthem, the one that most recently captivated me is not one ofthe company’s biggest or most expensive efforts, but the relativelysmall (50 pounds), relatively low-powered (55 watts),and relatively affordable ($3995) VK-55. After more thanten months of pretty constant use this sweet-honey of anamp continues to impress with its inherent ease and musicality.While it doesn’t have the kind of “etched” detail someaudiophiles crave, and the bottom end doesn’t have ultimatereach and impact, its warmth, natural textural and harmonicqualities, and open, airy presentation are very satisfying.It’s got what I call “musical detail, ” in that everythingcomes through in a way that serves the musical whole, allowingyou to enjoy and become immersed in each performance.I’m not sure if I have anything new to add to JonathanValin’s Golden Ear comments about the Kharma 3.2 in Issue139, or his full review in Issue 140. But I’m so smitten bythis small, two-way, floorstanding design, and it has beensuch a great source of musical pleasure as well as an invaluableevaluation tool this past year, that for me to not give ita Golden Ear for 2005 would be criminal. Granted, I have asmall room, but I’ve always preferred small-to-medium sizedspeakers to behemoths. To these ears, most big speakers(with the exception of Maggies and Sound Labs), sound likebig speakers. Despite their ability to create life-size images,scale the largest dynamic peaks, plumb the deepest bass, andmove massive amounts of air, the big guys rarely sound likereal music to me. I’m too aware of driver discontinuities andother electro-mechanical events at work. The thing that’s sogreat about the 3.2 is that it has the kind of single-drivercoherence you get from a Quad, but it’ll play rock or anythingelse at lifelike levels, and has as good a 40Hz bassresponse as anything going. In addition, the 3.2 creates aremarkably large and deep soundstage (if not the height of alarger speaker), is transparent to whatever is placed before it,and capable of a dazzling array of instrumental layers, textures,and colors.54 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

ROBERT HARLEYWilson Audio MAXX 2 loudspeaker$45,000 (wilsonaudio.com)Balanced Audio Technology VK-600M SE amplifiers$7995 to $23,000 (balanced.com)Naim Nait 5i integrated amplifier$1350 (naimusa.com)Shunyata AC power-conditioning systemHydra-8: $1995; Hydra-2: $395: Power cords:$1995 (shunyata.com)After hearing the MAXX 2 in five differentsystems and rooms, including myown for the past eight months, I’mconvinced that this is one of theworld’s great loudspeakers. It hasnever failed to sound anything less thanspectacular despite the wide number ofplaces and electronics with which it hasbeen partnered. More telling, perhaps, isthat after eight months of daily listeningI continue to be amazed at what thisloudspeaker can do. Rather than revealingflaws that become increasinglyapparent, long-term familiarityhas, instead, deepened my appreciationof the MAXX 2’sachievement.It may seem ludicrous to calla $45,000 loudspeaker a bargain.But when compared with manyof the stratospherically pricedsystems—including Wilson’sown $135,000 X-2 Alexandria—the MAXX 2 holds its own inthis world-class company, and ata fraction of the price.BAT’s VK-600M SE somehowmanages to combine seeminglyunlimited dynamic expressionand center-of-the-earth basssolidity with the midrangeimmediacy and transparency of alow-powered minimalist design.I won’t belabor the sonic descriptionsince my full review appearsin this issue, but suffice to say thatthe VK-600M SE is special indeed,and when used with the MAXX 2,brings out that loudspeaker’s bottom-endresolution and dynamicpotential.We’ve long touted Naim’s integrated amplifiers in thesepages, but it’s impossible to heap too much praise on thismusical marvel. This Nait 5i’s musicality demands that weshout its virtues from the rooftops. This is not just a staggeringlygreat amplifier; its $1350 price makes it, in my view,the greatest bargain in hi-fi today.The latest iteration in the long-running Nait series, the5i delivers greater output power (50Wpc) and an even morerefined sound than its predecessors. The 50Wpc ratingshould allow the 5i to drive a widerrange of loudspeakers, overcoming aperceived shortcoming of the 5i’s lowpoweredprogenitors. (The Nait 2,which I reviewed in 1989, deliveredjust 18Wpc. But what an eighteenwatts it was.)The Nait integrated amplifiers arespecial because they sound like music,not hi-fi. They have a gorgeous renderingof timbre, a relaxed and spacioussound, and an engaging musicality thatinstantly makes me forget I’m listeningthrough a playback system. Used withinits power limitations, the Nait 5i isas good as—and in some ways betterthan—some five-figure separates.Although I’ve only recentlyinstalled the Shunyata productsin my system, their effect onthe sound is so dramatic thatI’ll award them a Golden Earin advance of my full review.The products include theHydra-8 and Hydra-2 AC conditionersand Anaconda Helixand Python Helix AC cords.Used together, they elevatedmy system to a new level oftransparency, resolution, spaciousness,and bass definition.Removing the Shunyata productsthrew their effect intosharp relief; with stock ACcords and no conditioner thesound became hard, flat, twodimensional,lacking bloomaround individual instrumentsand sounding more like a collectionof sounds than a musicalexpression.I’ll have more to say in theupcoming review, but be alerted:This is one serious, thoughhideously expensive, AC-treatmentsystem.56 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportApril Music Stello DP200 DAC/PreamplifierMaybe there’s room for an upsampling DAC/preamp in today’ssystems after all.Neil GaderOnly a couple of years ago Iwas convinced that a newgeneration of high-resolutiondigital formats,SACD and DVD-Audio,was poised to grab the baton from flaggingRed Book CD and run with it. Atthat time I probably wouldn’t have consideredreviewing an upsamplingDAC/preamplifier like the April MusicStello DP200—so passé, so PC…M. Ofcourse, I never would have guessed thatboth of the high-res formats would do aswan dive into an empty pool, either.Today, even with high-resolution multichannelaudio waiting in the wings aspart of the new high-definition DVDstandard, a product like the StelloDP200 becomes a lot more appealing.Like they say—the only constant in lifeis change.April Music of South Korea producesa full line of mid- and high-level electronics,the Stello and the Eximus respectively.1 April describes the solid-stateStello DP200 as an “all-in-one AudioCenter for Digital and AnalogConvergence.” Equipped with multipledigital inputs (and a pair of analoginputs), it accepts the PCM signal of upto four components—from a CD or DVDtransport to a television set-top box. Itsupsampling digital-to-analog convertersoffer selectable sampling rates of 48kHz,96kHz, and 24-bit/192kHz, available onIn terms of sonicperformance, sometimesit’s what you don’thear that makes thestrongest impression.the fly. Included is a pair of bypass inputs,whereby a controller can take commandof the stereo left/right speakers in a multichannelsetup. Stello also addresses thearchiving market with a brace of modularoptions. There’s the P1 phono modulethat is adjustable for moving-magnet ormoving-coil cartridges with six gain andsix impedance settings via internal DIPswitches.Add to that the ADC-1 analogto-digitalconverter with its 24-bit/96kHz capability, and you can recordtreasured LPs, radio broadcasts, or tapesfor digital safekeeping. Stello is rightfullyproud of its first-rate headphone section,which taps into the Stello’s analogamplifier circuitry, avoiding sounddegradingop-amps. It’s preternaturallyquiet and has a pleasantly warm sound,and though the Stello can’t match thevelvety resolution and transparency of,say, an EAR headphone amp, my AKGK501 phones have rarely sounded better.The Stello look is aerospacesmooth—the one-piece aluminum toppanel wrapping neatly beneath the unit.Seven pushbuttons handle the most significantfront-panel functions, whichinclude a 120-step digital volume controldivided into 0.5dB steps. A brightly-litsixteen-character display makes listening-chairadjustments a breeze.Fortunately, the Stello memorizes thelast volume setting used for each input;otherwise, the lack of a traditional volumecontrol knob would be especiallydiscouraging. April Music completes the1 Stello also offers the P200 preamp, the S200 200W stereo amp (the M200 is a mono version), the CDT200 transport, and the DA220 D/A convertor. Just released are the AI320integrated ($2795) and CDA320 CD player ($1995).58 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportpackage with a metal-alloy remote controlthat’s heavy enough to exercise with,but unremarkable for its ergonomics.In terms of sonic performance, sometimesit’s what you don’t hear that makesthe strongest impression. The DP200 waswithout doubt one of the quietest preampsI’ve encountered in some time.Music emerged from the soundspace withastonishing purity and detail, and no vestigialcomet-trails of noise. Initially itssonic character seemed sterile, but theseassessments were made with a cold unitstraight from the box. Within a few shorthours the Stello’s performance warmedconsiderably. Through the analog or digitalinputs the midrange had an almostcushiony smoothness—a relaxed warmththat set images back from the listener arow or so. Female and male voices werereproduced with equal excellence. Basswas deep and boasted pitch definition thatmight not rattle the likes of a Krell butshould shake up some of the competitionin the under-$2k market. Acoustic bass,notoriously difficult to get right, sometimesgot a bit wooly and ill-defined, butthis was by no means the case in everyinstance. For example when Holly Colesings Tom Waits’ “Looking for the Heartof Saturday Night” [Temptation, Alert],the ripe acoustic bass sounded a littleover-stuffed and underdamped, yet onMary Stallings Live at the Village Vanguard[MaxxJazz] the bass had a muchimprovedbalance of pitch and extension.Although the treble range continuedto skew to the cooler, more clinical sideof the spectrum, even after break-in, itwas never less than highly listenable andnon-fatiguing. Occasionally on pianotransients there was a trace of smearing,and the thinnest glaze seemed to overlayhigh-speed upper-octave glissandos [OneOn One, Clark Terry, Chesky]. The sibilancerange of vocalists was neutral andimmediate, with the requisite transientspeed and no grating edginess. Macrodynamicswere vivid, but micro-dynamiccontrasts were more reserved—theenergy level less lively during a recording’squieter moments. Thus resolutionof the most delicate inner voices was alittle less than transcendent. Even so,transparency was very good at most levels,even revealing the occasional recordinggaffe that astute listeners oftenencounter (e.g., the studio door beingshut, or rather “slammed,” at the fourand-a-halfminute mark of Kissin’s lovelypiano rendition of Glinka’s TheLark—it’s a surprisingly audible slam,too, even though it’s way, way upstage).Switching between upsampling ratesreinforced the truism that resolution cannotbe added but only subtly enhanced.Generally I preferred the increased opennessof 96kHz or 192kHz upsampling,but results for all sampling rates werevariable at best (sometimes indeterminable)and contingent on the quality ofthe recording itself. The harmonic densityof classical music tended to favor thehigher sampling rates. At 192kHz,Evgeny Kissin’s piano during Pictures atAn Exhibition [RCA] had a reduced senseof constriction and a greater feeling ofbloom. Similarly there was an openness,an expressiveness, that filled Fiona Apple’svocal on the title track to ExtraordinaryMachine [Epic]. At lower sampling ratesher voice sounded as if some of the textureand air had been tamped down.The Stello DP200 is mildly subtractivein the areas of soundstaging andimaging. It doesn’t fully conjure up athickly populated soundstage of musicians.Malcolm Arnold’s brassy SussexOverture [Reference Recordings] wasvividly rendered but lacked the depth ofa real stage—appreciably wide but notespecially dimensional. There was atrace of image smearing, a depletion ofthe air and distance among players. Inoted a similar effect during mezzosopranoAudra MacDonald’s version of“Lay Down Your Head” [How GloryGoes, Nonesuch]. She begins the songsinging gently a cappella and is laterjoined by harp, cello, violin, and winds.Virtually every sonic element fallssmoothly into place with the exceptionof a general flattening of soundspacethat subtracts some of the luster andliveliness of the performance. I’m notentirely certain what is going on here,but experience suggests that when thefiner gradations of dynamics are constrained,the perception of soundspaceand dimensionality is diminished.Word to the wise: If you’re consideringrunning a set-top box through oneof the digital inputs be careful you don’tinadvertently tune to a Dolby Digitalbroadcast. The DP200 is not a surroundsounddecoder, and multichannel DolbyDigital will send a cascade of digitaldetritus chirping through the speakers.In a marketplace where the groundseems to be constantly shifting beneathone’s feet, the April Music Stello DP200makes for a standup and stylish package.Its sonic performance is competitivewith many higher-profile rivals. But it’sthe flexibility of on-board digital upconversionand—when outfitted accordingly—vinylplayback and digital archivalcapability that is the key to what I hopewill be its well-deserved success. &SPECIFICATIONSInputs: Analog, one balanced, two RCA; digital,two coax, one balanced, one opticalOutputs: Analog, one balanced, one RCA; digital,one balanced, one coax, one opticalDimensions: 17" x 4.25" x 13.5"Weight: 19 lbs.ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTSota Cosmos Series III turntable; SME Vpick-up arm; Shure V15VxMR cartridge;Plinius CD-101 Simaudio Equinox; Plinius9200 integrated amplifier; ATC SCM 20-2, Triangle Altea, PSB T55; Rel BritanniaB3 subwoofer; Nordost Blue Heavencabling, Kimber Kable BiFocal XL,Wireworld Equinox III; Wireworld SilverElectra & Kimber Palladian power cords;Richard Gray line conditionersMANUFA CTURER INFORMATIONAPRIL DESIGNS, INC.B1 Seorae Bldg, 773-1 Bangbae-Dong,Seocho-Gu, Seoul 137-829South Korea+82 2 3446 5561aprilmusic.comPrice: $1995 (Options: P1 phonostage,$250; ADC-1 24-bit/96kHz A/D converter,$175)60 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportEcho Busters Decorative Acoustical TreatmentsOne reviewer’s reminder of the most important accessory of all—thelistening room.Sue KraftIt boggles the mind to consider how much of our hardearnedcash is spent each year on ancillaries such as cables,power cords, conditioners, racks, stands, and all mannerof tweaks and audio-related paraphernalia—without asmuch as a second thought given to the room itself. Mostwill acknowledge the importance of a properly tuned listeningenvironment, but few do much of anything about it. I’d hazarda guess that, in some cases, room treatment alone could make abigger sonic impact than all the aforementioned accessoriescombined. You can throw all the money you want at your system,but in a less than an optimum listening room—which thevast majority of us, unfortunately, are stuck with—you’ll neverhear the full potential of any speaker.My rude reminder of the dramatic and detrimental effect aroom can have on a stereo came when I finally got around tosetting up a second system in the spare bedroom. It was actuallythe exact same system that I had just used to review theCoincident Super Eclipse III speakers in my 14' x 20' main listeningroom (Issue 157). The mid-sized Supers performed fabulouslydespite having to contend with three arched doorways,five windows, and a fireplace—all the typicalaesthetically pleasing but acoustically challengingtrappings of an early 1950s home inthe upper Midwest. Save for a pair of ASCTube Traps guarding the front corners and1.5"-thick double-cell honeycomb shadescovering the windows, the main room isessentially untreated. Considering theimplausibility of “trying out” the listeningroom before you buy the house, I think I’vedone fairly well—at least up until now.While I didn’t expect the intended 12-foot by 12-foot listening space to be anacoustic walk in the park, it’s safe to say Iwasn’t prepared to hear the sonic equivalentof chopped liver, either. Yet, with the systemset up diagonally and the Super’s twin eightsfiring outwards, I barely recognized thesound I had fawned over just days earlier.(Could this be the reason some readers thinkwe’re all deaf?) The trademark bottom-endtautness and articulation of the Coincidentspeakers were all but gone, and the soundstage—well,all I can say is, what soundstage? As any otherhardcore audio enthusiast would do in a similar situation, Ipanicked. Then I called Mike Kochmann of Echo Busters.I had actually spoken with Mike about a year ago, when Ifirst moved into the new house. But due to laziness and thefact that I wasn’t experiencing any serious room-related issuesInstallation was an easyone-woman, two Diet Pepsi job.at the time, I never followed through on his kind offer to letme audition one of his room-treatment packages. Mike waselated to finally hear back from me, and shortly thereafter Ifound five rather large cartons of assorted Echo Busters roomtreatmentdevices parked in the middle of my driveway—literally.(Can’t those delivery guys ever ring my doorbell to seeif I’m home before they dump and run?) My room-tuningpackage included a pair of quarter-round Bass Busters for thecorners behind the system, as well as a pair of Phase 4 bass62 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreporttowers for the opposing corners. There were two 5' x 23"absorption panels for each sidewall and a pair of smaller 4' x12" Double Buster diffuser panels to place atop the BassBusters. Rounding out the acoustic treatment were four triangularCorner Busters for the ceiling corners of the room.Although the large acoustic panels look heavy and cumbersome,they’re actually lightweight (six pounds or less, each)and fairly simple to maneuver or to hang with supplied hardware,if desired. Installation was an easy one-woman, two DietPepsi job. And when I was finished, the room and system hadtaken on a whole new sonic personality.With the full-monty Echo Busters treatment in place,images immediately snapped back into focus and the glare thathad me grabbing for my sunglasses disappeared. The signaturebass control and definition of the Coincident Super Eclipse IIIwas back with a capital B, and a soundstage materialized out ofthin air. Since the speakers were positioned diagonally in theroom, the soundstage still wasn’t as spacious as what I’m accustomedto in the main room, but with a little tweaking of theBass/Double Busters as well as the Phase 4 bass towers, thesound was surprising clear and three-dimensional.However, even with all the remarkable improvements I64 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreporthad witnessed, it wasn’t until the following morning that thesignificance of room acoustics finally sank in. Although Icouldn’t quite identify exactly what it was, I noted there wasstill something amiss in the upper frequencies, so I figured I’ddo a little cable tweaking to smooth things out. (Old habitsobviously die hard.) As I was rummaging through a box ofinterconnects, I noticed the four Corner Busters still stackedout in the hallway—I had forgotten all about them. So I decidedI’d quick-toss them up in the corners and then get back tocable hunting. Well, my cable-hunting safari was cut short aswhatever was ailing the upper frequencies immediately vanishedwith the Corner Busters in place. I almost felt a bitqueasy in the stomach just thinking about all the money I’dspent over the years trying to “fine-tune” my system whenmaybe all it really needed was a $166 set of Corner Busters.I’m not going to tell you the sound I’ve achieved with theEcho Busters in the newly converted spare room is the same aswhat I hear in my main listening room, but I’m enjoying itjust as much, if not more in some respects. The smaller roomsize has a cozier, more intimate feel to it, and so does themusic. I know us reviewer types toss around the term “transformation”like it’s going out of style, but this truly was atransformation. And the cool thing about Echo Busters, as wellas most other room treatment, is you don’t have to buy thewhole shebang at once. I’d recommend perhaps starting offwith a couple of Bass Busters or maybe just a set of CornerBusters. The effect is cumulative, and you can add on as yourbudget allows.Instead of renewing your membership to the cable-of-themonthclub this year, how about investing in what could turnout to be the most important component in your system—theroom? You won’t be sorry.&MANUFACTURER INFORMATIONECHO BUSTERSPO Box 721Wheatley Heights, New York 11798(631) 253-0001echobusters.cominfo@echobusters.comPrices: Corner Busters, $166/4; Bass Busters, $579/pair;Phase 4 bass towers, $490/pair; 4' x 12" Double Buster,$195/each; 5' x 23" Echo Buster, $265/eachWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 65

equipmentreportDynaudio Focus 220 LoudspeakerA Danish contender for an affordable and musical speaker.Sallie ReynoldsIt bears repeating: Today, we canput together a high-performance,highly musical system for a fractionof what that cost a decade ago.And we have choices in each categoryto suit our musical tastes. TheDynaudio Focus 220 joins my list of finereasonably priced loudspeakers.The Focus 220 is a floor-standingmodel, simple and handsome, from acompany that has been building speakers(in Denmark) since the late 1970s. Itmatches in looks, and undoubtedly insound quality, the others in the FocusSeries—home-theater packages withsatellites, center channel, and subwoofer.This could be a boon for those who wantto expand into multichannel sound.I had the 220s out of their boxes andhooked up in about 20 minutes. This isa design that, unusually in my experience,not only doesn’t allow bi-wiring,but doesn’t need it. This is also one inwhich spikes matter and grille cloths donot. Since I have dogs with dangeroustails, I ended up with the grilles on, as Iheard no difference with and without.And though I don’t have a carpet, thespikes increased the perception ofsoundstage air and light, and soremained in use.As the owner’s manual warns, the220s need break-in. Out of the box, Icould hear the Dynaudio clarity, extensionat both frequency extremes, andrichness in the midrange. But I alsoheard a touch of graininess in the treble,described by one listener as “whishiness”on high percussion (which may bewhishy by nature), high strings, andflute. This effect went away in about aweek, and the overall frequency balancejust kept getting better and better. I alsoheard a slight forwardness in the uppermidrange, which lingered.The bass is deep and clean. The overallsound of these speakers is powerfuland smooth—exciting when music is, ascalming as a deep clear voice whenmusic calls for that. And goosebumpilythrilling when, again, the music is. Allthis depends a great deal on that clear,deep, beautiful bass.And the 220 is “fast.” I usually avoidthis word like the very devil—never tillrecently did I hear a comprehensibleexplanation of it in audio terms. But ina note sent to The Absolute Sound lastmonth on TAS founder Harry Pearson’slatest system, designer Carl Marchisottowrote about an amplifier: “[It is] fast,but not just in the normal ways…Themodulation of one instrument or voiceby another, which is common in reproducedmusic, seems to have been eliminated,and this adds greatly to the feelingof experiencing ‘live sound.’” This,indeed, describes what I sense as “fast.”And the description is quite true for theDynaudio. The “normal” way of systemspeed I translate as transient informationso clean, clear, and crisp that it drivesthe music with sparkle. This, too, theDynaudio accomplishes. And thecrossovers are so smooth and the driversso matched, you hear no seams in thesesensitive spots where seams appear, ifseams there be.All these characteristics I assayedwith Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals,the middle piece on a spectacular (old)recording from EMI that also includesProkofiev’s Peter and the Wolf (nearlyflawless) and Britten’s Young Person’sGuide to the Orchestra. This Carnival isdeliciously performed by thePhilharmonia Orchestra under EfremKurtz, with Hephzibah Menuhin and66 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportAbbey Simon on pianos. The flute/piccoloparts—a passage that starts out onflute and ends on piccolo—are a goodtest for treble whishiness. There was,after break-in, no whish.Even two weeks in, though, I wasstill hearing that small forward thrust inthe upper midrange, particularly when Iwas listening slightly louder than normal(for me). On Patricia Barber’s Live inParis [EMI], at jazz-club volumes, shewas front and center and intimate, hersilvery voice delivering sentiments wryand biting. This CD seemed to be wellrecorded, but the band, which is excellent,was, oddly, at once loud andrecessed. The voice dominated in waysnot entirely normal.Then I adjusted my listening height(down till the tweeter was dead-on at earlevel), and lo! the pesky forwardnessvanished, and the stage locked in. Theoverall sound was clear as a mountainstream, and Barber’s musicians took onthe living quality that she had possessedall along. I eased up in the seat—thesoundstage constricted around her voice,which seemed to swell. Back down,again—perfection. Sweet-spot magic.After playing with this phenomenonon many recordings, I have concludedthat in my room, not only do the 220sneed extra-careful positioning (here,slightly toed in, about 30 inches from therear wall—I did not use the supplied“bungs,” didn’t need them, as I also didn’tneed a subwoofer), but the listenerrequires the same care. I measured, as suggestedin the manual, the same distancebetween the speakers as that from theinside edge of each speaker to the listener’schair—an equilateral triangle, for me, at70.5 inches. (And don’t forget the ears attweeter level, which you may be able toachieve by adjusting the height of thefront spikes.) Off-axis, the effect on noncriticallistening is not disturbing. But ifyou want to really hear and feel yourmusic, you need to be seated properly.And, then, what a treat you’re in for.This speaker, on good recordings, willmelt you into its loveliness. Less-thanwell-recordedCDs are revealed for whatthey are, though. On the exquisitelyperformed If You Love Me, with mezzoCecilia Bartoli [London], the audiblydull recording robs these love arias ofthat final drop of heaven.I adjusted my listening height (down till the tweeterwas dead-on at ear level), and lo! the peskyforwardness vanished, and the stage locked in.To see how much these characteristicsmight owe to a synergy between speakerand amplifier, I replaced the MusicalFidelity kW500 integrated amplifier, ahybrid design, with the all-tube PrimaLuna amplifier and preamp, which are ahair “softer” in sound. The differenceswere slight—yes, softer, but not too.Then I put in the MF X-150 integrated,less powerful than the kW500, and of aprice more in keeping with the speaker.The quality of the sound was still gloriouslyclean and clear. The volume knobjust needed to go up a bit—no surprise.So these speakers seem to get along nicelywith a variety of good amplifiers.The words that best describe the220s for me are “powerful,” “clear,” and“exciting.” Intimate groups come outinto the extensive soundspace with airand light and force. Orchestras are satisfyinglyspread out beyond, behind, andabove—and dynamic (a rarity, in myexperience, for smallish systems).Featured instruments in good recordingssparkle. The organ at St. Mary’s in SanFrancisco [Reference Recordings] rattledbody and floor, yet individual timbresremained precise. Chico Freeman’s miraculoussaxophone on Saudades [Water LilyAcoustics] was in turn reedy, breathy, andsinuous—you feel as though you’re eavesdroppingon a jam session, an intenseBrazilian body-jazz, a whirlwind tour ofheart and mind. The fellows were havingfun, so there is, o rara avis, not a singleboring cut on this CD. And the playing—ah,this playing is surely among thebest in the world, and deliciously reproducedthrough the Dynaudios.You will be lucky as well if you treatyourself to the Dynaudio Focus 220. At$3000, it is a spectacular bargain.Alongside my reference, the SpendorS8e, also $3000, it holds its own. Thesetwo splendid speakers are both clear andrich in midrange and midbass. TheDynaudio’s treble, though extended andfine, is not as sweet and lovely as that ofthe Spendors. And the Spendors aremore forgiving in placement. But theDynaudios go further down in the bass.So maybe you are triply lucky: Youget to let your music make a difficultchoice easier. The Dynaudio will havethe edge over most of its competitors onhard rock and on the full spectrum ofcomplex orchestral music. &SPECIFICATIONSType: Two-and-a-half-way floor-standingloudspeakerDriver complement: Two mid/bass drivers;one tweeterSensitivity: 87dBPower-handling: 250 wattsImpedance: 4 ohmsFrequency response: 32Hz–25kHz +/-3dBDimensions: 8" x 38.6" x 11.6"Weight: 42 lbs.ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTMusical Fidelity C5 CD player, and kW500and X-150 integrated amplifiers; PrimaLuna Three preamp and Five amp;Nordost Blue Heaven cables; MonsterCable HS3500 powerline conditionerMANUFACTURER INFORMATIONDYNAUDIO NORTH AMERICA1144 Tower LaneBensenville, Illinois 60106(630) 238-4200dynaudiousa.comPrice: $300068 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportMoscode 401HR Tube Hybrid Stereo AmplifierAn audio classic, revised and updated.Jacob HeilbrunnOne of the well-knowndownsides to planar orelectrostatic speakers isthat they aren’t simplyhungry for current; they’reravenous for it. Almost any speaker canbenefit from gobs of power, but tryingto satisfy the appetites of dipoles can bea particularly exasperating experience,one that has led some audiophiles toconclude that current-greedy speakerscan’t produce realistic dynamic levels orare more trouble than they’re worth.High-powered amps that can provideslam and impact are, more often thannot, extremely expensive and, in somecases, prone to producing an overly analyticalor bleached-out sound, while lessprohibitively costly ones may simply falter,like an underpowered car strugglingup a steep hill, when pushed beyondtheir limits. So it was with more than apinch of skepticism that I listened severalmonths ago to designer George Kaye’sconfident assurances that his new tubehybridMoscode HR401 stereo amplifierwould be able to drive Magnepan’sfamously power-hungry flagship 20.1loudspeaker with aplomb.Would I really discover that his reasonablypriced, by audiophile standards,amplifier, based, no less, on a classicSumptuous and dynamic, it conveys any type ofmusic, ranging from orchestral to rap, withunusual authority and self-assurance.design, differed from others that hadmade a good initial impression but ultimatelyfailed to deliver the musicalgoods? Absolutely.Almost immediately after poweringup the Moscode, I realized that it is not agood amplifier. It is a superb one.Sumptuous and dynamic, it conveys anytype of music, ranging from orchestral torap, with unusual authority and selfassurance.So fetching is the Moscode,visually and sonically, that I found myselfeagerly lugging it to several friends’ systems,delighting in their stunned expressionsas they discovered the smooth,grainless presentation of the Moscode asit powered their respective Thiel 1.6s andKharma Midi-Exquisites. The $70,000+Midi-Exquisites powered by a $5000amplifier? You bet. The combo soundedravishing. While the Moscode is notwithout some sonic flaws—find me anamp that isn’t, please—it can more thanhold its own with any loudspeaker,regardless of cost. And there are fewspeakers, apart from high-sensitivityhorns, that would not profit from theMoscode’s abundant reserves of power.70 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportRight out of the box, there is nomystery about the sonic signature of theMoscode. If neutrality is what you’relooking for in an amp, then look elsewhere.The Moscode may have a solidstatepower supply and output stage, butit errs emphatically on the side of a tubelikepresentation. It is, you might say,about the lush life. In fact, after being onfor a few hours, it becomes even morerelaxed and tuneful than upon startup,erasing most traces of transistoritis,which can often be a welcome thing.Perhaps these qualities should come asno surprise given the intellectual provenanceof the amplifier, which is a tributepiece to the late Dr. Harvey Rosenberg(hence the HR in the amplifier’s logo), alegendarily wacky and tube-obsesseddesigner of amplifiers (the owner’s manualcomes complete with an introductionby Rosenberg for the original versionof the amplifier in which he recommends,among other things, wearing asilk robe and indulging in a Shiatsumassage before listening to the amp).Nevertheless, this is clearly no fustymuseum piece from yesteryear, but athoroughly modern design that neverfaltered or failed. Push the little buttonin front, watch the beautifully lit bluesoft-start flash on and off as the tubesgently power up, and you’re off and running.So meticulous is Kaye that there iseven a little dial in back to modulate theglow. A switch in back lets you use oneamp in stereo or two in biamp mode. Iran the amps both ways, but preferredthe added power of two. No matterwhere or when I ran the amps, theynever failed to perform glitch-free. Theonly no-no that I indulged in was toflout the manual’s instructions and liftthe ground on the amp with a cheaterplug to banish a persistent hum.One other thing: this amp is heavenfor tube-rollers. For the gain tubes,Moscode gives you seven differentoptions. Some manufacturers like toclaim that they’ve voiced their equipmentspecifically to match certain tubes,but I’ve always regarded this as blarney.The advantage of using tubes is that youcan tailor the sound to your preferences orchange it if you want a change of pace. Ididn’t do a huge amount of tube-rolling,but did learn that, in this case, the factory-supplied6H30 sounded markedlysuperior to my vintage Telefunken12AX7s. The sound became morerefined, airier, and the bass tightened upwith the 6H30s, but I also had to turn upthe volume since the gain went downsubstantially. Others might prefer themore swollen sound of the 6DJ8 tube(which I really don’t think should be usedin any audio applications even though it’sconvenient and easy for manufacturers tosource). Anyway, no matter what tubesyou use, I’m quite sure that the basicsound of the amp will remain constant.Consistent with my initial reservationsabout the amps’ power, I ran two ofthem in biamp mode on the Magnepan1.6s. Upon inserting them, I rather nonchalantlyturned back toward the listeningchair, but halfway there I almost sufferedwhiplash as I turned around,There was simply afeeling of drive anddynamism, an emotionalconnection that I hadnever experiencedwith the 1.6s.mouth agape, at the gale-force sheets ofsound emanating from the speakers. Ihad always enjoyed the highly toutedParasound JC-1s on the 1.6s, but thiswas sound of a different order. Cymbalrim-shots exploded with ferocity, whilethe saxophones took on a breathy andpalpable character they simply hadn’thad before. The Moscodes revealed muchmore clearly the propulsive dynamiccharacter of the Convergent AudioTechnology preamplifier, making theJC-1s by contrast sound somewhat veiledand demure in character, which was farfrom what I had expected.Did timbral accuracy suffer a littlebit? Certainly. But the Moscodes loweredthe noise floor and peered further into therecesses of the soundstage than the JC-1s.There was simply a feeling of drive anddynamism, an emotional connection thatI had never experienced with the 1.6s.The same characteristics were even moreamply displayed in running the Moscodesfull-range on the big 20.1s, whose farmore complex three-way crossover presentshigher current demands than the1.6s. On Wynton Marsalis’ new albumLive At the House of Tribes [Blue Note] histrumpet leapt out of the speaker andevery microtone, as Marsalis half-keys histrumpet to moan, slur, and soar throughglissandos, was captured with remarkablefidelity and presence. The imaging of theamps was quite good, but not stellar.Once again, while the amp doesn’t committhe sin of blurring images, it focusesmore on presenting a larger picture ratherthan spotlighting performers.The power supply has clearly beencarefully regulated. This shows up notonly in the unconditional stability of theamp, which never loses its composure nomatter how demanding the music, butalso in the low noise floor that is asapparent on the 20.1s as it is on the 1.6s.Indeed, the weight of the hall almostcomes through physically with theMoscode; on one disc what I think musthave been the air-conditioning systemrunning came through loud and clear,too, desired or not. And no matter howhard I tried to drive the amp into overload,it only became warm, not hot, tothe touch. It’s hard to believe that itcouldn’t handle the most punishingspeaker load.Despite its raw power, however, theamplifier did display one weakness: deepbass control. Ironically, since Kaye featuresa picture of himself playing the basson the first page of the manual and toutsthe amplifier’s supposed grip on low frequencies,the Moscode’s performance hereis not as iron-fisted as it might be. It is,in fact, overripe, tubby, and not, dare itbe said, the last word in extension, either.On the Kharma Midi-Exquisites, whichare a mite polite in the bass, theMoscode’s overly voluptuous low end wasnot detectable and, if anything, fleshedout the speaker. But on the Thiel 1.6s andboth sets of Magnepans, the bass did notmatch the standard set by the midrangeand treble. The Parasound JC-1s and theClassé Omega monoblocks both dis-72 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportplayed better tautness and resolutiondown in the nether regions, which iswhat one would expect from solid-state.Did the Moscode amp surpass theSPECIFICATIONSPower output: 200Wpc @ 8 ohms, 300Wpc @ 4 ohmsFrequency response: 10Hz–100kHz +/-.2dbFull power frequency response: 10Hz–20kHz +/-.2dbInput impedance: 100k ohmsTubes supplied: 6H30Pi, 6GU7Number and type of inputs: One stereo pair, line-level (RCA)Dimensions: 17.5" x 6.5" x 15.5"Weight: 52 lbs.Classé Omega and Omicron monoblocks,which cost at least four times as much? No,it did not. The Moscode is not as pure anddetailed. But what it conveys, and what noASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTVPI HR-X turntable with JMW 12.6 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1S and Lyra Titan cartridges; Sony777ES SACD player; EMM Labs CDSD transport and DCC2 preamp/DAC; Messenger preamplifierand phonostage; Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Mk. III preamplifier; Classé Omegaand Omicron monoblock amplifiers; Magnepan MG 1.6 and 20.1 loudspeakers; Jena LabsSymphony and Hovland Music Groove 2 interconnects; Nordost Valhalla speaker cables; JenaLabs Fundamental Power One Power Cords; Shunyata Hydra-8 line conditionerpurely solid-state amplifier will perhapsever fully achieve, is the visceral excitementand palpability of a high-poweredhybrid or fully tubed unit. Maybe it wasthe translucent blue light emanating fromthe glass windows on the front of the amp,but I found this diminutive amp ratherbewitching. If you’re considering an amparound $5000 or even double that, youwould be remiss not to consider theMoscode. You can spend a lot more for alot less than the Moscode. It will be awfullyhard to break the spell it casts. &MANUFACTURER INFORMATIONMOSCODEPO Box 322Chatham, New York 12037(877) 797-8823info@moscode.commoscode.com74 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportMagnepan MG 20.1LoudspeakerA fresh look at a perennial audiophilefavorite.Donald SaltzmanYou’re probably asking yourself, “What can this guy tell me aboutMagnepan speakers that I don’t already know?” After all, this magazinehas reviewed various Maggie loudspeakers over the years—raves all—and the 20.1 is the basis of HP’s favorite surround-sound system.Moreover, the $12,000 20.1 was The Absolute Sound’s Product of the Yearin 2003. So what can a guy like me add? Just this: Having lived with the MG 20and now the 20.1 for a combined 13 years, I’m hoping I can provide some real-worldinsight to anyone looking for a state-of-the-art loudspeaker at a fair price.The 20.1 is tall, thin, and sexy (my longed for,but never attained, physical state).Magnepan’s flagship, the 20.1 is tall, thin, and sexy (my longed for, but neverattained, physical state)—the audio equivalent of the plasma video screen. The speakerconsists of three large drivers mounted vertically on a board, with no enclosure savefor a wooden frame. The ribbon tweeter occupies the space between one vertical endpiece of the frame and a vertical dividing strip, while the midrange/woofer paneloccupies the larger space between the dividing strip and the other vertical end pieceof the frame. This box-free design eliminates resonance and the colorations introducedby typical loudspeaker enclosures. 1The “diplanar” bass panel is the largest of the three drivers—some 786 squareinchesin size. This low-mass Mylar diaphragm is infused with evenly spaced wires(which carry the music signals) and suspended between magnets (which provide thepower). Unlike electrostatics, planar-magnetic designs do not require large transformersor a connection to an AC outlet to drive the panel. The 137 square-inch“quasi-ribbon” planar-magnetic midrange, although physically attached to one sideof the bass panel, is of somewhat different construction and is driven separately fromthe bass driver. Unlike previous versions of the MG 20, the midrange panels of the20.1 incorporate a true push-pull magnet structure. The improvement in midrangeclarity and definition is the most salient difference between current and prior versionsof the speaker.The most addictive qualities of the 20.1 are its even top-to-bottom tonalbalance and realistic portrayal of the soundfield in which the recording wasmade. Not only does the acoustic space sound lifelike, so do the sizes and place-1 Many Maggie owners bemoan the fact that the speaker somewhat flexes on its feet when pushed from the top. I have seen and heard many attempted solutions to this so-called“problem,” generally consisting of complete rebuilds of the entire frame, with mixed sonic results (generally very detailed but somewhat dry). I am looking forward to trying the muchsimpler and modestly priced foot and bracing system manufactured by Mye Sound (myesound.com), which consists of metal feet that will accept spikes and metal brackets that attachwell up the back side panels of the speakers.WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 75

equipmentreportment of instruments on the stage. And unlike most speakers,the space and performers sit at a realistic height relative to yourlistening position—neither lower than stage height nor beamingdown on you as if suspended from the rafters. While noA few words are in order aboutamplification. Simply put: the morepower, the better.home sound system can truly convince you that a life-sizedorchestra is laid out before you, the 20.1scome closer than most, and in this regardcompete with speakers at any price.The Maggies are also full-range loudspeakers,slighting the upper frequenciesnot at all and the lowest frequencies onlyto a minor extent. The bass is full, quick,and tuneful. It rocks on rock ’n’ roll andmoves large quantities of air when a symphonyorchestra is playing full-tilt. Andbecause the Maggies have no box, there isabsolutely no sense of boxiness or cabinetresonance at the lowest frequencies.However, while the bass panels will playsatisfyingly loud on almost all types ofmaterial, they can be overdriven by verydynamic low-frequency notes played atlouder-than-life levels.The midrange and high-frequencyreproduction of the 20.1 is, in my view,state of the art. Whereas the midrange ofthe older 20 was slightly opaque and didnot seamlessly blend with the ribbontweeter, the new midrange driver of the20.1 cures those problems. The midrange istransparent, open, and powerful. It seemsto be impervious to overload or strain. Itcertainly isn’t lacking body, but because itis a planar design you will not want to useassociated equipment on the thin side ofneutral. This is probably why I (and manyothers) prefer tubes with these speakers.The outstanding ribbon tweeter is delicate,crystal-clear, light, and powerful—allat the same time. But it does have certainoperational limitations. While it will playto a very satisfying volume level, it too canbe overdriven if some caution isn’t exercised.You can generally rock out to yourheart’s content, but if you also try to rockyour neighbors, you will often meet withblown fuses or, worse, blown tweeters.Fortunately, the tweeters are user-replaceable. To put this in context,the 20.1 will play louder, without breakup of any sort, thanany full-range electrostat I have heard.The only other issue with the tweeter is that, depending on theassociated equipment, it may tend to some brightness or glare athigher volume levels. If you encounter this problem it is easilyremedied by slightly padding down the tweeter with either thesupplied resistors or those of your choice. Depending on your roomacoustics, the tweeter should need anywhere from no padding to nomore than 1.5dB attenuation. The trick is to pad the tweeter downjust enough so it does not call attention to itself.Design and SetupCONTINUED ON PAGE 80The tweeter is a true ribbon and is undoubtedly the manufacturer’s crowningachievement. Five feet tall, it is of such low mass that it is nearly featherweight.While not without problems if improperly driven, it is a driver of unsurpassedpurity and detail. (I believe that HP has referred to it as possibly the besttweeter in the world, and who am I to argue?)This entire affair of ribbon, quasi-ribbon, and diplanar bass panels is driventhrough two moderately complex crossovers. The first is internally mounted anddivides the signal between the midrange and tweeter at approximately 3kHz. Thesecond crossover is housed in two large metal boxes, one of which is typicallyplaced behind each speaker. These passive units allow the speakers to be run fullrangefrom a single amplifier, or bi-amplified using a stereo amplifier or two monoamplifiers for each speaker. Because there is no gain adjustment on this crossover,bi-amplification is best accomplished with identical amplifiers.A few words are in order about amplification. Simply put: the more power, the better.The speaker is very low in sensitivity, with a factory rating of 85dB (and thatseems generous). While use of the active crossover seems to lessen the powerrequirements, I don’t believe you will experience the full capabilities of the speakerswithout at least 300 watts per channel into a 4-ohm load. You will certainly hear musicwith a less powerful amplifier, but it won’t come to life in the same way. My VTL 450sare up to the task, as are other higher-power tube and solid-state amplifiers.Like all high-end loudspeakers, what you get out of the Maggies largely dependson what you put into them. They are so revealing that it would be a mistake not touse outstanding components and cables upstream. I’ve heard many great combinationsof same, at various price points, that make the 20.1 sound magical, yet to metubes seem to produce the most magic, especially in the midrange. I have alsoheard a number of solid-state components I could happily live with.The speakers are large and require special care in placement because of theirdipole radiation pattern. In particular, to enjoy the most they have to offer, it is essentialthat they not be placed too close to the wall behind them. While some criticsgrumble that the Maggies “don’t do depth,” they are sorely mistaken. My listeningroom is approximately 25 feet long by 16 feet wide and the speakers reside about6 feet out from one of the short walls. All of the walls are covered, from ceiling toabout three feet from the floor, with silk cloth over cotton batting. I generally get outstandingdepth of soundstage, or so I thought until I visited a friend whose listeningroom is much larger and who has at least 15 feet between his 20.1s and the rearwall. In that setting not only is the depth of stage staggering, but the speakers, aslarge as they are, truly disappear into the acoustic of the recording.DS76 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportTrying the 20.1s with the Pass Active CrossoverThe stock Magnepan crossover works well enough, but I have alwayswanted to try an active crossover with the 20.1. Pass Laboratorieswas kind enough to oblige by sending me its XVR1. This is a seriouspiece of gear, consisting of two beautifully finished chassis (the crossovernetwork itself and a separate power supply). The crossover has only four controlson the front panel—separate volume pots for left and right high passand for left and right low pass. The back panel offers balanced and singleendedinputs and balanced and single-ended outputs for high and low pass.A great deal of thought went into the design of this $5000 crossover.Depending on the internal settings chosen, between 6dB and about 17dB ofgain (single-ended Class A circuitry) is available in each channel. This shouldlet you match the gain of almost any amplifiers chosen for high- and low-frequencyuse. Internal jumpers allow the user to use an enormous number ofcrossover frequencies. More interestingly, each high- and low-pass filter isuser-configurable at a 6-, 12-, 18-, or 24dB-per-octave slope, with the choiceof three independent Q (sharpness) controls for each filter. Thus, the XVR1offers almost unlimited crossover flexibility. Additional XVR1s can be addedfor tri-amp, quad-amp, or even more complex setups. The only things missingfor the intrepid speaker-builder is some type of equalizer.When I initially installed the XVR1, I chose crossover settings almost identicalto the Magnepan factory settings. (I subsequently experimented withother settings but ended up preferring the factory ones.) High pass was set at290Hz with a simple 6dB slope, while low pass was set at 110Hz with an18dB slope. The Q setting was at “medium” for each. The VTL 450s wereused for high-pass amplification and a Sunfire Signature stereo amplifier wasused for low-pass duty. The volume controls on the Pass unit allowed precisematching of volume for each amplifier, after a few hours of trial and error onvery familiar musical material. My goal was to set the bass level, relative tothe mid/highs, as close as possible to the stock Magnepan crossover.The most immediate effect of the Pass was a greater sense of headroomand dynamics. And while I was using a second amplifier of higher power, I don’tthink the results were due solely to the additional amp. Even the mids andhighs, driven by the VTLs, were more dynamic and alive than before, whichcould be attributable to one or both of two factors: The VTLs no longer had toreproduce bass frequencies, and they no longer had to drive the Magnepanexternal crossover. Using an active crossover, you may well be able to drive themid- and high-frequency sections of the 20.1 with lesser power, and you couldalso choose a less expensive but still-sufficient amp for the bass.The Pass unit operated flawlessly and was dead silent. Though transparencythrough the XVR1 was excellent, I can’t really say that the sound wasmore transparent than though the factory crossover.So, what’s the best way to cross-over the Maggies? The overall soundthrough the XVR1 was somewhat more open and dynamic than the stockcrossover, but I am not talking orders of magnitude. It was ever-so-slightly brighter than the stock unit, but never objectionably so. I alsoseemed to gain an extra octave of low-frequency extension when using the XVR1, but this was probably a result of substituting theSunfire amp for the VTLs for bass reproduction. On the other hand, the sound through the factory crossover and the VTLs run full-rangewas slightly more full-bodied and warm than the bi-amp setup, which is nothing to sneeze at. Overall, I would give a slight nod to theactive crossover, especially insofar as it allows you to use separate, and possibly less powerful, amplifiers in a bi-amp setup.Yet the performance of the Maggies with the stock crossover is always satisfying, and once the cost of the Pass is factored in(as well as the need for an extra set or two of interconnects), the stock setup is by far the most economical way of experiencingthe 20.1 magic.DS78 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportThe most addictive qualities of the 20.1 are itseven top-to-bottom tonal balance and realisticportrayal of the soundfield in which the recordingwas made.All of the qualities of the 20.1 arehighlighted by recordings such as Mahler’sDas Knaben Wunderhorn [EMI LP], a sensationalChristopher Parker recording. Thestage is open, lush, and airy, and the wallsof your room will effectively disappear(sonically speaking, of course). Fischer-Dieskau’s powerful baritone is to the leftand somewhat back, while Schwarzkopf’svoice floats ethereally from right centerstage. The bass drums are shockingly powerfuland roll through the room, just as youwould experience them live.Reproduction of strings, large-scaleand small, is one of the great strengthsof all Magnepan loudspeakers, whichbeautifully capture the instruments’tone, body, and rosiny bite. In theShostakovich’s Quartet No. 8 [DeccaLP], the brooding and ominous stringsof the Borodin Quartet completelyescape the confines of the speaker. In theBeethoven Cello Sonata No. 1 [EMICD], Jacqueline du Pré’s cello is lyricaland resonant, while Janos Starker’s drivingperformance of Brahms’ Cello SonataNo. 1 [Mercury LP] is so alive it’s hardto sit still in your chair, and GyorgySebok’s piano accompaniment is warmlyresonant and natural. Likewise, woodwindsand horns are convincingly lifelikethrough the 20.1s.And when you’re ready to rock, theMaggie’s won’t disappoint. My wife’s oldJethro Tull and Janis Joplin CDs had herdancing all night. Even an all-out electronicassault like Massive Attack’sMezzanine [Virgin CD], so long as notplayed at ear shattering-levels, delivers(almost) subterranean bass and a strongpulsating beat. Richard Thompson’svoice and guitar on The Old Kit Bag[Diverse Records, LP] are so palpable andalive that if you close your eyes you mightthink he and his guitar were in the room.There’s not much that’s missing, butas good overall as the 20.1s are they arenot perfect. As noted, they will play veryloud but won’t blow down the wallswithout unduly stressing the drivers.While the bass is fast, full, and welldefinedwithout boxy colorations, it is80 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

equipmentreportSPECIFICATIONSType: Three-way planar-magnetic speakerDriver complement: Ribbon tweeter, quasiribbonmidrange, planar-magnetic bassFrequency Response: 25Hz–40kHzSensitivity: 85dBImpedance: 4 ohmsRecommended power: 100–300 wattsDimensions: 29" x 79" x 2.06"Weight: 90 lbs.ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTBasis Gold Debut Turntable; ImmediaRPM-2 tonearm; Keotsu RosewoodPlatinum Signature and Onyx cartridges;Aesthetix Io Signature phonostage;Aesthetix Callisto Signature linestage;Meitner CDSD transport and DCC2DAC/preamp; VTL 450 power amps;Sunfire Signature power amp; TransparentOpus, Reference MM, and Referenceinterconnects and speaker cables; PuristAudio Dominus interconnects and speakercables; Walker Audio Valid Points andHigh Definition Linksnot the equal of the largest dynamicdriver systems in terms of midbass slamor subterranean extension. Instrumentsand voices have great body but I haveheard some cone-and-dome speaker systemsthat infuse the instruments with aslightly greater sense of reach-out-andtouch-itpalpability. Similarly, while the20.1s are wonderfully transparent andpure, they may be edged out in theseregards by the best electrostatic models.Likewise, imaging is far more thansatisfactory (and more precise than whatI actually hear live), but may not completelysatisfy the needle-in-a-haystackcrowd. Finally, percussive sounds likesharply struck piano, rim shots, andwoodblocks are ever-so-slightly softerthan the real thing.But picking nits would miss thepoint of the 20.1. Simply stated, its overallbalance of musical virtues is almostpeerless. Factor in a relatively affordableprice, which is far less than the competition(such as the largest offerings fromWilson, DALI, Rockport, Dynaudio, andAvantgarde), and it must be consideredone of audio’s great bargains. &MANUFACTURER INFORMATIONMAGNEPAN INCORPORATED1645 Ninth StreetWhite Bear Lake, Minnesota 55110(651) 426-1645magnepan.comPrice: $12,000PASS LABSPO Box 219Foresthill, California 95631(530) 367-3690passlabs.comPrice: $5000WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 81

E X P L O R I N G T H E A R T A N D T E C H N O L O G YThe Cutting EdgeBalanced Audio TechnologyVK-600M SE Monoblock Power AmplifierRobert HarleyCan a massive solid-state power amplifierdeliver the immediacy and delicacy of alow-power, single-ended design?Afundamental principle of high-end audio design holds that the signal path shouldbe as short and simple as possible, and the power supply as elaborate and massiveas practical. The VK-600M SE solid-state monoblock power amplifier fromBalanced Audio Technology (BAT) takes this idea to the extreme; this amplifier hasthe signal-path simplicity of a low-power single-ended amp, coupled with a powersupply that looks as though it could light and heat a small city. (See the accompanyinginterview with designer Victor Khomenko for details.)We tend to think of an amplifier’s power supply as outside the audio signal path. After all, itsjob is merely to supply direct current to the tubes or transistors that actually do the work of amplifying82 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

The Cutting Edgethe music signal. Looking at a schematic reinforces this view; wefollow the audio signal from input to output, with the power supplyrepresented as an adjunct to the signal-amplifying electronics.A more accurate way of thinking of a power amplifier, however,is of a device that pulls 120V/60Hz alternating currentfrom your wall outlet through the amplifier’s power transformer,converts the AC into directcurrent (DC), stores thatenergy in large capacitors,and then allows the tinyaudio signal at the amplifier’sinput to modulate the storedenergy as electrical currentthat is driven through theloudspeakers by the poweramplifier’s output transistors. This way of thinking of a poweramplifier leads to the realization that an amplifier’s power supplyis actually in the audio signal path. The current that ultimatelydrives the cones in your loudspeakers back and forthcomes from the wall outlet via the amplifier’s power supply.BAT’s emphasis on the supply’s importance is reflected both inthe standard VK-600’s substantial power supply and in theupgrade path BAT makes available. The amplifier’s basic configurationis a stereo unit at $7995. Two levels of power-supplyupgrade are available: the BAT PAK at $995 and the SUPER PAKat $3000. Both are boards containing rows of capacitors that beefup the power supply by adding additional energy storage. Whenfitted with both upgrade options, the amplifier becomes the SEversion. (The SE is $11,500 when purchased initially, which savesyou $500 over starting with the basic amp and upgrading.)The next step up is the VK-600M, a monoblock versionthat combines the stereo amplifier’s two output channels into amore powerful single channel. BAT PAK and SUPER PAKupgrades are also available for the mono version. The ultimaterealization is the fully loaded VK-600M SE reviewed here($23,000 per pair).Power output is rated at 300W into 8 ohms, a figure thatdoubles as the load impedance is halved (600W into 4 ohms).This suggests that the VK-600 can deliver power to currenthungryloudspeakers that have low-impedance dips. The twochannels are completely separate (including transformers) witheach supplied by its own AC power cord. Inputs are balancedonly, reflecting the amplifier’s architecture of fully-differentialcircuitry from input to output. If you want to drive the VK-600 with an unbalanced signal, you’ll need RCA-to-XLR adaptors,available from BAT.This amplifier is built like a tank, with a very nice, but notoverly lavish, front panel. The money went into performancerather than cosmetics.This way of thinking of a poweramplifier leads to the realizationthat an amplifier’s power supply isactually in the audio signal path.The VK-600M SEs were in some ways revelatory, particularlywhen partnered with BAT’s top-of-the-line VK-51SE preamp.For starters, these amplifiers exhibited iron-fisted controlover the Wilson MAXX 2’s big woofers, without the slightesthint of strain at any listening level. The VK-600M SEs didn’tjust go low and play loudly; they produced a rock-solid, tight,and visceral bottom end thatserved as a strong tonal andrhythmic foundation for themusic. Their dynamicimpact, explosive transients,and effortlessness in the basswere peerless, in my experience.I’ve never heard thedynamic envelope of kickdrum or tympani reproduced with such depth and startlingimpact, coupled with equally sudden decay. For instance, thespectacularly recorded bass and kick drum on Travis LarsonBand’s Suspension [Precision] were portrayed so vividly that thishigh-energy power trio seemed to have much of the life anddrive it has in concerts. The VK-600M SEs (along with theWilson MAXX 2) even resolved the individual strokes of twobass drums played quickly, rather than turning the instrumentsinto an undifferentiated low-frequency blur. Taut, muscular,and authoritative are how I’d describe the VK-600M SE’s bass.(The MAXX 2 turned out to be an ideal match for the VK-600M SEs, since the Wilson’s superb bass took full advantageof the BAT’s bottom-end impact and resolution.) The musicalresult was a visceral, whole-body involvement in the music(some music, at least) that smaller-scale hi-fi systems just don’tdeliver. Although I can greatly enjoy a well-chosen and set-upsystem of modest proportions, a playback system’s ability todeliver the bottom two octaves with unfettered dynamic contrastsis an experience unlike any other.The VK-600M SEs weren’t just brawn with no finesse. Thebass was highly detailed and nuanced, a quality I appreciatedwith acoustic bass playing. A good example is Eddie Gomez’masterful work on Steps Ahead’s eponymous first album[Elektra Musician], particularly on the track “Pools.” The songstarts with the bass playing the melody, and then Gomez anddrummer Peter Erskine lock into an interesting rhythmic pulsethat sets the foundation for the extended and inspired tenor andvibraphone solos from Michael Brecker (in top form here) andMike Manieri, respectively. The VK-600M SEs beautifullyexpressed the intricate dynamic and rhythmic nuances of thesegreat musicians.The VK-600M’s bottom-end quickness extended to therest of the spectrum; this amplifier is extremely “fast” sounding,reproducing transients with lightning-quick attack. ManyWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 83

The Cutting Edgeamplifiers with high resolution of transient detail sound excitingfor about five minutes, until the etch produces listening fatigue.The VK-600MSEs had a unique combination of transient zip andsmoothness; the amplifier reproduced attacks without that littlespike of high-frequency edge on transients.Now we get to a characteristic of the VK-600M SEs thattook me by surprise, minutes after connecting the amp for thefirst time and long before it had warmed up or broken in: aremarkable transparency and immediacy, particularly throughthe midband. Putting the amplifiers into my system renderedan instant jump in the sense of palpability and directness.Instruments and voices became more vivid and alive. This palpabilitystemmed from an overall impression that the VK-600M SEs simply got out of the music’s way, imposing virtuallyno sound of their own. The VK-600M SEs had an almostSET-like immediacy, but without the lush romanticism of the300B tube. It was as though the recording and playback signalpaths were laid bare, the VK-600M SEs acting as a transparentVictor KhomenkoTalks with RobertHarley aboutFounding BalancedAudio Technology,Designing AudioEquipment, and theVK-600Robert Harley: Tell me about yourbackground in electronic design.Victor Khomenko: My basic educationwas in electronics and physicsfrom the Polytechnical Institute in St.Petersburg, Russia. I graduated in1973 and worked in the Russian militaryindustry before emigrating toAmerica in 1979.I’ve been tinkering with electronics(especially audio) since I waseight years old. My electronic educationwas simply icing on the cakebecause by that point I was alreadya fairly experienced home tinkerer.I’d done a lot of do-it-yourself projectsjust for my own system. Therewas no way to obtain common highendproducts in Russia at the time—amplifiers, preamps, phonostages,tape recorders, turntables. I had tobuild them all myself.I came to America in 1979 andworked at Hewlett-Packard developinganalog and digital instrumentation.At that time my audio interestmoved to the back burner, becausethere were so many more seriousthings to be addressed. It wasn’tuntil the late ’80s that I came incontact with American audiophiles,and my first acquaintance in thisarea was with my now-partner,Steve Bednarski. We worked togetherat Hewlett-Packard andhe started talking abouthis audio system. I madecomments about how theproducts could have beenbetter designed. Stevereplied: “If you are sosmart that you know how itcould have been donebetter, why don’t you tryit?” So I just had to try it. Irevisited my audio-designhobby, built some products,and the results wereso good that we decidedit was worth doing commercially.We startedBalanced AudioTechnology in 1994. About a yearlater we were joined by GeoffreyPoor, our Director of Sales.RH: And more than ten years lateryou’re still going.VK: We’re still going, yes. We justpassed our tenth anniversary, andthe company is doing fine. We startedwith one or two products in 1994,and today we have, I believe, twentymodels on our price list. Our productline is unusual because it presentsa cross-section of technologies.We don’t just make tubed or solidstateequipment—we use whateveris right for the particular application.RH: The VK-600 has three unusualdesign elements: 1) no global feedback;2) a single stage that servesas both an input and driver stage;and 3) the output transistors are allN-channel MOSFETs rather the N-channel and P-channel complementarypairs. Why did you choosethese approaches? [N-channel andP-channel transistors are the FETequivalents of PNP and NPN bi-polartransistors. —RH]VK: We started with the idea of simplicityof the audio circuit. Whenpeople talk about why some small,single-ended amplifiers sound sogood, they always mention simplicityas one of the reasons. Well, if youlook at the schematic of the VK-600,you can actually make the casethat it is even simpler than your typicalseven-watt, single-ended amp,because those amplifiers have outputtransformers and the VK-600doesn’t.The VK-600 essentially accomplisheseverything that you need toaccomplish in a high-power, solidstateamplifier with just two gainblocks. As you mentioned, the firstblock is the input stage/buffer andafter that is just an output stage,and that’s it. That was unheard of atthe time we first introduced this typeof product in the VK-500, becausemost power amps at that time followeda multi-stage approach todesign. In a typical high-power solidstateamp, you see dozens of amplificationdevices. When you put a VK-600 schematic next to one of thoseamps, it’s almost as though there’s84 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

The Cutting Edgewindow on the electronics chain and, ultimately, on the musicians’expressiveness.This sense of transparent palpability was accompanied byan overall presentation that was a bit on the forward and immediateside, with the soundstage projected just in front of theloudspeaker plane rather than behind it, reducing the sense ofspace between you and the music. These aren’t amplifiers thatenvelope you in a huge soundstage. The layers and layers ofdepth on Rutter’s Requiem [Reference Recordings], for example,sounded a bit foreshortened, as though the acoustic had becomea little smaller. The voices didn’t quite float in air the way I’veheard from other top-notch amplifiers.Partially as a result of the VK-600M SE’s immediacy andquick reproduction of transient information, I heard a massiveamount of recorded detail. This statement could sound like awarning, but I don’t mean it as such. Rather, the VK-600M SEartfully resolves every last iota of information—inner texturaldetail of instruments and voices, low-level instruments in theback of the soundstage, micro-dynamic nuances—withoutsounding overly analytical.nothing in the VK-600.You have to work hard atachieving simplicity; it’s more difficultto design a simple circuit than acomplex one. Our single gain stagedoes everything, with low distortionand large voltage swings, and itdrives the output stage without abuffer and with no loss of bandwidth.RH: Stravinsky said,“I compose withthe eraser.”VK: [chuckles] Yes, that’s a very, verygood statement. As far as no globalfeedback, we belong to the schoolof thought that feedback should beused only in moderation and onlywhen absolutely needed. Thedesigner’s job is to develop circuitsthat don’t need feedback in thefirst place, and then perhaps add alittle feedback as a final touch,rather than rely on it to make thecircuit work. Because the VK-600 is azero-feedback design, it also allowssome very interesting possibilitiesthat other typical designs simply donot have. For example, we can parallelany number of channels formore power, without any problemsof stability or conflict. This is whatallows the stereo VK-600 to becomea monoblock, and it doesn’tachieve this through conventionalbridging of channels.RH: What about using a single-polaritydevice throughout the circuit—the N-channel MOSFET?VK: That’s an interesting question.It’s been known for a long time thatP-channel MOSFETs are always inferiorin terms of their bandwidth,speed, and other characteristics. Ifyou design a circuit using complement-arydevices, you must usethose infinitely inferior P-channeldevices. By dispensing with the P-channel devices, the circuitopened up with wider bandwidth,and that also made the circuitsmuch more stable.RH: What else is interesting aboutthe design?VK: You can start with power supply.Each channel comes with its owndedicated, massive power transformer.Good amplifier design alwaysbegins with the power transformerand power supply—it is the foundationof good sound. We use a 1kVAtoroidal transformer in each channel,and the two channels are completelyseparate. We also use vast energystorage in the power supply. Thepower supply is in fact so big thatwhen you turn the amplifier on, eachchannel powers-up sequentially so asnot to trip the circuit breaker in yourbreaker panel.You can further increase energystorage with the optional BATPAK. It triples the electrolyticcapacitor bank in the power supply.The increase in energy storageis especially noticeable when theamplifier is driving difficult speakers.With some easy-to-drive speakers,the effect may be smaller. There isalso another type of energy storageoption—what we call theSUPER PAK. You can see this as alarge circuit board filled with specialtop-quality paper-in-oil capacitorsthat are made for us inEurope. With the SUPER-PAK you’llimmediately notice additional liquidityto the sound; it becomesmore open, transparent, and farmore fluid. The SUPER PAK is largelyresponsible for the amplifier’sbeautiful finesse.RH: You mentioned earlier that theVK-600’s two channels are convertedto one channel in themonoblock version without bridging.VK: That is correct. When people talkabout converting a stereo unit intoa monoblock, they immediately usethe word “bridging.” Bridging is connectingtwo channels in series,which is commonly done to achievehigher power rating.We decided to go with parallelchannels instead of bridging,because although you get moreoutput power “on paper” with bridging,you sacrifice drive capabilitydue to an increase in the outputimpedance. A bridged circuit alsodoesn’t work as well driving the loadwith two channels driven in series.When you think about power,you have to think about the differencebetween maximum power,which is academic in many cases,and the ability to drive and controlthe speaker. Maximum output poweris akin to horsepower in a car; it’sresponsible for the maximum attainablespeed. Drive is like torque,which is much more meaningful towhat the driver feels in the seat ofthe pants. By running the channelsin parallel, the amplifier feels substantiallymore powerful eventhough on paper the maximumoutput rating doesn’t go up asmuch as if you had bridged thechannel. Very few architectures willallow you to parallel channels aswe do in the VK-600.86 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

The Cutting EdgeThis amplifier is built like a tank,with a very nice, but not overlylavish, front panel. The moneywent into the performance ratherthan cosmetics.Another remarkable characteristic was the VK-600M SEs’ability to maintain their composure at any listening level andthrough dense and complex musical passages. Orchestral climaxeswere just as clean and resolved as low-level passages.This allowed higher listening levels without fatigue or irritation.You can often hear an amplifier running out of power onsustained loud passages as a congealing of individual instruments,both tonally and spatially. The VK-600M SEs werecompletely unfazed by any volume level or any music. (Itshould be noted that the Wilson MAXX 2 is a fairly challengingload for an amplifier.)I was a little disappointed at first in the VK-600M SEs’upper treble reproduction, which sounded as though it lackedextension at the extreme top end. I’m not talking about a softnessthat affects musical timbres, but rather the feeling of airand openness on which the music rides. Either the amplifierbroke in and opened up, or I became used to this sound.Whatever the case, I came to appreciate the VK-600M SEs’upper treble sweetness and lack of solid-state glaze. Part of myinitial perception could have been caused by the VK-600MSEs’ extremely black background and lack of electronic haze.As great as the VK-600M SEs are—and I believe they are inmany ways one of the world’s great solid-state amplifiers—theywon’t be the amplifier for all people. They lack the lush romanticismand slight sweetening of timbre that makes many tubedamplifiers so seductive. They are also better at dynamics and resolutionthan at presenting a feeling of air around instrumentsand a sense of bloom that expands with an instrument’s dynamicenvelope. Lush, forgiving, expansive, and enveloping are notadjectives that describe the VK-600M SEs. These amplifiers areat the other end of a continuum that may have at one end, forexample, the Audio Research Reference 600s—amplifiers withgorgeous rendering of timbre and a huge spatial presentation,but lacking the bottom-end authority, control, dynamics, andpalpability of the VK-600M SEs. Finally, you should judge theVK-600M SEs only after they have been warmed up for at least88 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

one hour, preferably two. These amps take longer to warm upand to sound their best than any others in recent memory.SPECIFICATIONSPower output: 300W into 8 ohms, 600W into 4 ohmsInputs: Balanced on XLR jacksDimensions: 19" x 9.5" x 23"Weight: 110 lbs.ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTWilson Audio WATT/Puppy 7 and MAXX 2 loudspeakers; AesthetixCalypso linestage and Rhea phonostage, BAT VK-51SE linestage,Mark Levinson No.326S linestage; Mark Levinson No.432 poweramplifier; Clearaudio Maximum Solution turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm,Clearaudio Wood cartridge; Theta Generation VIII digitalprocessor and Mark Levinson No.31.5 transport; Meitner DCC2 andCD30 CD and two-channel SACD playback; Sony SCD-XA777ES multichannelSACD playback; MIT Z-System AC conditioner; AudienceAdept Response AC conditioner; MIT Oracle loudspeaker cable;Nordost Valhalla interconnects; Acoustic Room Systems room; BillyBags equipment racksThe BAT VK-600M SEs delivers an astonishing combinationof sheer brute-force power with the midrange immediacyand palpability of low-powered single-ended amplifiers. Theyhave a stunning sense of transparency, among the best I’veheard from any amplifier, tubed or solid-state. They also possessgreat finesse and resolution, qualities not often associatedwith high-power solid-state amplifiers that can also exert ironfistedcontrol in the bottom end and express seemingly unlimiteddynamic contrasts.All these audiophile descriptors aside, what really counts ishow readily and deeply I become involved in the listeningexperience. Judged by that criterion alone, the VK-600M SEsare worthy of my highest recommendation.&MANUFACTURER INFORMATIONBALANCED AUDIO TECHNOLOGY1300 First State Blvd., Suite AWilmington, Delaware 19804(302) 999-8855www.balanced.comPrice: $7995 to $23,000 ($23,000 as reviewed)WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 89

The Cutting EdgeEXOTICAAudio Research CorporationReference 3 Linestage Preamplifier andReference 210 Monoblock Power AmplifierJonathan ValinThe very first time I poweredup the new linestage preampand monoblock poweramps from ARC, I knewthey were extraordinary.As fate would have it, I waslistening to an EMI LP[ASD 2709] of the Shostakovich SecondPiano Concerto, with John Ogdon thesoloist and Lawrence Foster conductingthe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Thisrecord sounds gorgeous on any decentstereo, but through the MBL 101 Eloudspeakers driven by the AudioResearch Reference gear I immediatelyheard something I’d seldom heard beforeon any stereo system, though I hear it allthe time in live concerts and recitals.I’d call it “decay”—and it is that—only what audio reviewers usually calldecay is the sound of a note that hasintentionally been sustained by the performerand persists for a longer-thanusualtime. A great example of this isfound at the close of the first movementcadenza in the Montsalvatge ConcertoBreve [London CS 6990], where thepianist Alicia de Larrocha sustains achord via finger and pedal for whatseems like an eternity, providing a littleprimer on the way a piano note graduallydies away—tone colors flickering andslowly going out one by one, until allthat is left is a single tiny persistentenharmonic overtone that only ceases tosound ever so faintly when de Larrochafinally (and audibly) lets up on keyboardand pedal. If your stereo is capable ofsuperior low-level resolution, the genuinesilence—the moment of rest—thatfollows the extinction of this barelyaudible harmonic is as breathtaking asthe grandest crescendo.Though the ARC Reference duo willreproduce this sustained note almost asclearly as the $19,000 MBL 6010 D preampand $73,500 9011 monoblockamps, sostenutos are not the kinds of90 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

The Cutting Edgedecays I am thinking of. No, what I’vegot in mind is the way the harmonics ofordinary, unaccented notes briefly “hang”in the air before they are “covered up”by the attacks of subsequent notes. Inlife, you hear this all the time—particularlywith piano played solo, but alsowith ensembles and orchestras. It is theaural equivalent of the persistence ofvision—the way the eye/brain holdsonto a series of images to form a completepicture. The ear/brain does thesame with a series of sounds to form thecontinuity of music.What the Audio Research Referencepreamp and amp can do in combination—whatthey, in fact, did with JohnOgdon’s first few spare, heart-stoppingnotes in the gorgeous second movementAndante of the Shostakovich Second—ispreserve the way the colors of each ofthose piano notes lingers just ahead ofthe note that follows, hanging their harmonicsin space like a faint aural afterimagebetween the dying off of one toneand the utterance of another. Our Mr. Plikes to talk about “continuousness”; theAudio Research components give theword a new and, to my mind, essentialmeaning. They “fill in the gaps” betweenand among notes more realistically thanany other electronics I’ve heard.If bringing a new and unparalleledrealism to the reproduction of the durationof notes were all that the ARCReference 3 and Reference 210 did, theywould qualify as some sort of hi-fibreakthrough. But that is not all theydo. Not by half.First there is Audio Research’s tonalpalette. If, in life and in audio, tone colorsmust perforce be projected against atinted backdrop, I’ll take ARC’s offwhitecanvas over the raven blackness ofmuch solid-state, the toast-brown of certainother tube gear, and the chalk of certainexamples of each topology (such asSpectral and middle-vintage ARC). Tomy ear, this “neutral” background interferesless with the purity of timbres—doesn’t skew them as much toward thedarkness of bass or the brightness of treble.As a result, tonal balance in theReference gear is sensationally “right.” Ihave not heard such meltingly beautiful,true-to-life string, wind, and brass tonenor such persuasively realistic reproductionof voices (try “All My Trials” onPP&M’s In the Wind [WarnerWS1507]—a record that, for vocal realismalone, belongs in the Baker’s Dozenof HP’s SuperDisc Pop List) since I usedthe late, lamented Tenor Wp75 OTLs asmy references, although the Tenors weresubstantially brighter and edgier in theupper-mids than the ARC amp and preampand did not have their awesomeauthority in the bass.Speaking of the bottom octaves…while nothing I’ve yet heard can outdothe MBL 6010 D/9011 on dynamics,extension, and resolution in the bass—atleast with the difficult-to-drive MBL101 E loudspeakers—the ARC combocomes closer than other amps I’ve tried,including some solid-state. (This is surprisingfor usually-thick-in-the-bottomoctavestube gear and bears upon anotherone of ARC’s successes—greatlyimproved bandwidth and overall transientresponse.) On massed cellos anddoublebasses or timps or low brass andwinds, the ARC gear has massive “authority,”projecting bass-range crescendostoward you like rolling thunder.Here we start touching on somethingI’ve mentioned so many times before thatI feel a little embarrassed talking about ityet again: what I call “action.”By this word, I mean the ways an92 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

The Cutting Edgeinstrument’s sound changes position andsize with the forcefulness with which itis played and the register it is played in.For example, in a recital hall a piano’supper registers typically seem to be projectedabove and slightly ahead of thebody of the instrument; its middleoctaves seem to be sounded closer to thebody itself; bass octaves puddle upbehind and below the instrument, to therear of the stage. However, the size andposition of any and all of these “staggeredin space” registers can changeinstantly with changes in dynamics.Played sforzando, the middle octaves ofthe piano “leap forward” from theirusual middle-ground spot—soundingway out ahead of the body of the instrumentand making a much larger sonicimage (and much more forceful sonicimpression on the listener). The continuous,register-and-dynamic-relatedswell and subsidence of instrumentalvoices from background to middleground to foreground (and back again) ispart and parcel of the live concert experience(and an essential of orchestration).Typically, however, it is not as much apart of the stereo experience.In most hi-fi systems, particularlysolid-state ones, instrumental imagesseemed to be “pegged” to a single plane.If a solo flute, for instance, is soundedfortissimo from the middle ground ofthe soundstage, it may sound larger andlouder on a stereo, but it will not seemto leap into the foreground—will notchange planes within the soundstage.And yet, anyone who has ever attended aclassical concert can attest to theremarkable way a solo flute or piccoloplayed fortissimo can suddenly cutthrough the densest orchestral texturesand seem to float above and to the frontof the entire ensemble, as if a sonic tractor-beamhas been thrown on it.All of this is a roundabout way ofsaying that this ARC gear is the bestI’ve yet heard at reproducing instrumentalaction (or bloom)—particularlyin the bass and midrange. As in lifewhen big choirs of doublebasses andcellos start up, they don’t just get louderat fixed spots to the far right andright middle of the stage; through theARC Reference 3 and Reference 210,they are projected at you, swelling withweight and power and rolling towardthe front of the soundstage just as theydo in a concert hall. With a greatrecording filled with massive crescendos,like the Szymanowski ViolinConcerto No. 2 [Philips 6500 421], theA Great Leap ForwardThe Reference 3 linestage preamp and Reference210 (and Reference 610T) monoblock amplifiers areARC’s “statement” products—the latest designs offabled audio engineer William Zane Johnson and, in myopinion, the best work he has ever done. (And that, folks,is saying a mouthful.)Though housed in ARC’s traditional chassis withheavy aluminum rackmount faceplates and those perforatedmetal cases with a zillion screws in them, the Ref 3preamp and 210 monoblocks are “ground-up” designsthat boast much stiffer, larger-capacitance power suppliesand markedly wider-bandwidth, lower-distortion circuitsthan previous ARC gear. Both amp and preampcome with remote controls that allow you, with the Ref 3,to adjust volume, balance, mono/stereo operation, andpolarity, and, with the Ref 210, to monitor power output infour different ranges, read bias for all six output tubes, andcheck line voltage from your wall socket. Both amp andpreamp have large vacuum-fluorescent display windowsin their faceplates that read out data via numbers andline graphs. However, both units sound substantiallysmoother, sweeter, and more neutral when these displaysare turned completely off. (There is a button on theremotes that lowers and raises display illumination levels.)Turning out the lights does not prevent you from using thedisplays, as they come back on momentarily, at the lowestlevel of illumination, whenever you push a button oneither remote or use the control knobs on the preamp.The four circuit boards and two transformers of theReference 3 linestage are entirely new designs. The audiocircuit is fully balanced, zero-feedback, Class A, based onfour 6H30P twin triodes; the power supply is a tube/transistorhybrid consisting of 6550C and 6H30P regulator tubes withsolid-state rectification.The power supply is claimed to havedouble the energy storage of the Reference 2 MkII, whichmay account, in part, for the huge improvement in transientresponse.The increase in bandwidth,which has skyrocketedfrom 60kHz to 200kHz, and the 12dB drop in noise undoubtedlyalso contribute to the Reference 3’s improved transientsand astonishing resolution of tone colors.The Reference 210, which replaces the discontinuedReference 300 in the ARC line, is also an entirely newdesign, using custom parts and circuitry pioneered in theflagship Reference 610T. Like the 610T, the 210WpcReference 210 is a fully balanced, push-pull, vacuumtubecircuit, running three matched pairs of 6550C outputtubes in partial-cathode-coupling mode. Two more6550C are employed as driver tubes, each controllingone bank of three output tubes. Direct-coupled JFETs areused in the input stage, followed by a 6N1P vacuum-tubeamplifying stage. Power-supply energy storage is claimedto be 787 joules—three-quarters the size of the threetimes-as-powerfulReference 610T and nearly twice thesize of the 300Wpc Reference 300 MKII! As with the Ref 3,the Reference 210’s output transformer is an ultra-widebandwidth design, with a claimed frequency response of0.5Hz to 240kHz (-3dB). Once again, these improvementsin energy storage and bandwidth are audible. JV94 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

The Cutting Edgeeffect is awe-inspiring, because thesoundstage is so alive.The Szymanowski LP brings me toanother salient ARC virtue. Together,the Reference 3 and Reference 210throw the widest, deepest, tallest stageof any preamp and amp I’ve auditioned.Even though the Szymanowski disc hasextraordinary staging on most stereos,you’d have to hear the wall- and mindbendingway that the References fill inthe back third of my listening room tograsp the magnitude of the differencethey make. As the orchestra gets louderand louder, it’s as if curtain after curtainis lifted on a stage that grows progressivelydeeper and wider and taller. Theeffect is astonishing.Even on smaller-scale recordings,the ARC duo does its inimitable soundstagingthing. For instance, on “SomeDay Soon” from Ian and Sylvia’s NorthernJourney [Cisco/Vanguard VSD-79154],the guitar to Sylvia’s left (listener’sright) is imaged at least three feet fartherto her left via the Reference 3 andReference 210 than it is with any otherelectronics I’ve tried (and this is withthe Tara Labs Zero interconnect andOmega cable that I thought, clearly mistakenly,were restricting stage width). Infact, the guitar moves so far to the leftthat it’s not in my room anymore—it’ssomewhere beyond the wall, out in thealley. With the exception of the Zandenphonostage, which also had a neat way ofinjecting huge amounts of spacebetween and among instruments, I’venever heard anything like it.As for the resolution of detail,though the ARC Reference 3 andReference 210 resolve certain kinds oflow-level information, particularly duration-relatedinformation, better thananything I’ve heard (harmonics and thedecays between notes, as noted) and areat least an order-of-magnitude lower innoise and grain than any previous ARCgear I’ve auditioned, they are not asadept as the MBL at resolving otherkinds of low-level details, particularlytransient-related ones.ARC has beefed up the power suppliesof both the linestage and the poweramp to a point where instrumentalattacks are much quicker, snappier, andmore powerful—much more solid-statelike—thanother tube gear I’ve heard.That said, transients still aren’t as fastand clear as those of the MBL 6010D/9011, not just in the bass and treblebut everywhere. Nor is the ARCs’ noisefloor as low as the MBLs’. Since certainkinds of detail—like how forcefully aninstrument is being played, preciselywhere on the stage it is being played,and how many other instruments arebeing played alongside it—are transient-dependent,the MBL has a largeedge in the reproduction of the clarity,intensity, focus, and number of instruments.But then it has an edge in theseregards over everything else, tube or solidstate.The ARC has an edge in reproducingtone colors, action (or bloom),soundstaging, and durations. 1You may have noticed that I haven’tmentioned the treble yet. That isn’tbecause I dislike it. With the MBL 101Es, via the 4-ohm taps of the Reference210, the high end is soft, sweet, airy, andbeguilingly beautiful, though ratheringratiatingly “forgiving” beside theremarkably realistic treble of the MBLpreamp and amp. Via the Reference210’s 8-ohm taps (or when the Reference3 is used with a solid-state amp), I foundthat the treble was crisper and lessromantic, but still not the MBLs’ equal.I’ll continue to comment on theARC Reference 3 and Reference 210 astime goes by, and I get more experiencewith each. For now, it is enough to saythey are genuine hi-fi masterworks.They are also priced quite fairly forstate-of-the-art gear.&1 An informative comparison between the MBL and ARC gear can be had by listening to “Texas Rangers” on Ian andSylvia’s Northern Journey LP. As I mentioned in my Tara Labs review in the last issue, this cut has an echo on it that isessential to the stark, lorn quality of the lyrics and the performance. The MBL gear reproduces the transient slap of theduo’s voices as it bounces back toward the listener off the rear wall more distinctly than the ARC does—more distinctlythan anything else I’ve tried. But the ARC combo reproduces the way their voices trail away toward the rear wall withthe same magical continuousness that it shows when reproducing the decays of notes. Both presentations are kind ofamazing. And which products you will prefer will depend, to some extent, on whether you value astonishing clarity andtransients or astonishing durations and tone colors.SPECIFICATIONSReference 3 preampType: Vacuum-tube linestage preamplifierwith remote controlNumber and type of inputs: One each CD,tuner, video, phono, Aux 1, Aux 2, andprocessor on XLR and RCA connectorsType of outputs: Two main and one tapeon XLR and RCA connectorsDimensions: 19" x 7" x 15.5"Weight: 29.6 lbs.Reference 210 power amplifierType: Monoblock vacuum-tube poweramplifier with remote controlPower output: 210WpcNumber and type of audio inputs: OneXLR (balanced only)Dimensions: 19" x 8.75" x 19.5"Weight: 74 lbs. apieceEXOTICA REFERENCE SYSTEMAnalog front end: Walker Proscenium GoldReference turntable/tonearmCartridge: Clearaudio TitaniumDigital front end: To be determinedLoudspeakers: MBL 101 E, KharmaReference Monitor 3.2, SoundLab M-1Linestage preamps: MBL 6010 D, AudioResearch Reference 3, Aesthetix CallistoSignature MkII, Lamm L2 Reference, EdgeSignature 1.1Phonostage preamps: Aesthetix IoSignature MkII, Lamm LP2 Deluxe, ZandenPower amplifiers: MBL 9010, ARCReference 210, Edge NL 12.1, PassLabs X350.5, Kharma MP150Interconnects and cables: Tara Labs“The Zero” and Omega, Nordost Valhalla,Synergistics Research X2 AbsoluteReferenceMANUFACTURER INFORMATIONAUDIO RESEARCH CORPORATION3900 Annapolis Lane NorthPlymouth, Minnesota 55447(763) 577-9700audioresearch.comPrices: Reference 3, $10,000;Reference 210, $19,999 the pair96 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

HP’S WORKSHOPGolden Ear Awards, and aShort Think Piece on Digital DominationGolden Ear AwardsHarry PearsonAmplifiersASR Emitter II Series 2005 integrated (fanfareintl.com) $25,900Wyetech Sapphire 300B single-ended triode (wyetechlabs.com) $6800Integrated TurntableVPI Super Scoutmaster Signature (vpindustries.com) $5500Moving-Coil Phonograph CartridgesDynavector XV-1S (dynavector.co.jp) $4250Benz Micro LP Ebony (musicalsurroudings.com) $4700Compact Disc Players47/Lab PiTracer CD transport and Gemini converter (sakurasystems.com) $25,000 and $3500Jadis JD-1 player and JS-1 digital converter (pierregabriel.com) $40,000Bluenote Stibbert (fanfareintl.com) $4900AccessoriesNordost Thor power-distribution system (nordost.com) $3200Multichannel EquipmentEMM Labs CD/SD SACD playback deck (onahighernote.com) $7900EMM Labs DAC-6e SACD digital-to-analog converter (onahighernote.com) $11,500Edge Electronics G AV 55 modular amp (500-watt module version) (edgeamps.com) $11,250AMPLIFIERSASR Emitter II Model 2005This amplifier not only joins the rank ofthe great classics of audio design, like,say, the Audio Research D-150 andReference 600s, but also actually advancesthe art in its fiendishly clever integrationof a battery-powered linestage into theamp itself. It sounds as if there is nolinestage at all in the circuit.The battery-powered linestage is, Iam sure, partly responsible for the vanishinglylow noise floor of this highpowered,solid-state component. If thereis a “new wave” in high-end sound, andI maintain there is, it lies in those components—likethe Dynavector XV-1Smoving coil, the VPI ScoutmasterSignature, and ASR’s own battery-poweredBasis phonostage—that have solowered the noise floor that we, the listeners,are able to hear much moredeeply into the recorded soundspace.But it isn’t just the lowering of thenoise floor that accounts for some of thisamp’s magic; it is also the reduction ofwhat Lew Johnson (of connie-j) calls“the grunge.” You can decrease the noisefloor of a given component and still hearabove that its electronic or mechanicalsignature. In the case of tubes, we havecalled this “tube rush,” and in solid-stategear we have heard it as a kind of subtleelectronic hash or fine-grained sandinessor electronic glaze.I came at this backwards when Inoted the way the Emitter allowed a listenerto hear through both the compactdisc and the analog LP in a new way,without their usual seemingly inherentsonic signatures—the kinds of anom-WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 99

HP’S WORKSHOPalies you just learn to listen around.Their absence was startling in the case ofthe best CDs—e.g., Mercury’s two-discset of The Composer and His Orchestra andthe XRCD transfer of The Planets fromthe Decca/London original. The best discsdidn’t sound “digital” in the way we haveall come to dread. I just wish I knew,technically, how the designer FreidrichSchäfer accomplished this. Especiallysince his amps contain two of the solidstatebad boys—op amps and no fewerthan 20 MOSFETs, in the past, sure indicatorsof rocks in the sonic belfry.Since I wrote that review, I have gottenhold the of a second ASR (on loan,naturally) and assigned it the task ofdriving the bass towers of the NolaGrand Reference, thus replacing theAntique Sound Labs Hurricanes. The200-watt Hurricane monoblocks weremore than an acceptable match with thewoofer system—four 12-inch porteddrivers per channel that operate below40Hz—surprisingly so, and in contradistinctionto the usual mythologyabout tubes and deep bass. Once the secondASR was in place, the shortcomings,comparatively speaking, of theHurricanes became obvious: an overlyromantic mellowness in the 30-to-40Hzrange and just enough tube grunge tocreate a slightly veiled masking effect.With the ASR on the woofer towers,not only was there an articulation andpurity in the bottom frequencies (welldown toward the lower 20Hz mark), butwe could now hear deeper into the stage,getting even more ambient informationfrom the recording site and a muchclearer picture of the relative “size” ofinstruments from bass drum to bassoon.Some of the improvement was actuallyaudible in the harmonics well above thewoofers’ range—and I mean well above.There was a richer field of harmonicinformation past the middle frequencies.The principal gain in ambience retrievalcame in two ways: (1) with an enhancedsense of the actual depth and delineationof real space from front to back, and (2)in our ability to hear the sounds of theacoustic shell surrounding players in areal space, i.e., the walls of the stage“sounding” as instruments are beingplayed. This furthers the sense that youare in that space with the players insteadof listening to a replica of the originalsound. (I am assuming here that those ofyou who are serious listeners will havedamped the sidewalls of your musicroom to minimize their interplay withthe hall sounds.)As we discussed originally, becauseof the absence of a separate AC-poweredlinestage we have been able to plug bothphonostages and CD players directlyinto the ASR’s battery-operated input,and, when it strikes our fancy, to compareboth balanced and unbalanced outputsif the gear in question has balancedoutputs. This has given us a much clearerpicture (see our notes on CD playersbelow) of the real capabilities of the newgeneration of digital playback gear.And, again, as noted, we found thatusing the balanced inputs does make adifference in further lowering the perceivednoise floor of the playback gearand, to our ears, in improving the tonalbalance of the sound, perhaps simplybecause we can hear more deeply intothe soundspace. Oddly, methinks, thetop octaves become sweeter, moredimensional, and seemingly better atthe rendition of dynamic contrasts.The ASR does have a sonic “character,”and that is a “yin”-like darkening ofthe original. It is certainly not as neutralas say the best of the early Bill Johnsondesignedtubed amplifiers, nor is it asSymphony Hall (Boston) golden insound as the best conrad-johnson work.But it doesn’t sound like either “solidstate”or “tubes,” a distinction even theaudio neophyte can usually makeinstantly—in this respect, the ASR isessentially colorless. It has so much outputpower (greater, I would think, thatthe nominal 275 watt-per-channel rating)that it has the ability to float effortlesslyover the most intense fortissimos Ican throw at it (and don’t think for amoment I am not expert at this). Put allof this together and you, perhaps, cansee why I am wrung in the withers overthe yin of its character.Mechanically, things are a bit morecomplicated. And the ASR is a bitkinky. It is best to turn it off if you aren’tgoing to be around for extended periodsof time, and best, if you are going to bearound but not playing it, to let its batteriesrecharge (they are good for 100hours of play) and to be careful not tosend transient pulses through it, lest youshut it down. Also, it sounds best after ithas been in the operating position—thatis, at full power—for 30 or so minutes.Oh, yes, we have begun to test itsabilities with other speaker systems.From the field reports I hear, the ASR candrive even a difficult and cantankerousload, such as the big Wilson speakers.(SEE FULL REVIEW, ISSUE 152, PP. 104–119)Wyetech Sapphire 300B singleended-triode monoblockamplifiersIf you do not insist on overtaxing thisunit with high playback levels on lowsensitivityspeakers—those, say, withless than 95 or so decibels of measuredsensitivity—you’ll be in for the samesurprise as I was. Up until the Sapphires,SET amplifiers struck me as having asimilar sonic signature despite thedesign differences of their individual circuits.That is to say, SET amplifiers hada “soft” bottom octave, a somewhat protuberantand romantic midbass, a trèssweet midrange, and a vanishing topoctave. Perhaps in a narrow band of themidrange, they sounded “purer,” more“alive,” even a shade faster than they didelsewhere in the frequency range.Now it seems that the more recentwork with the better SET designs haslicked this characteristic commonalityand that SETs are finally coming intotheir own, if we can find good-enoughhigh-sensitivity speaker systems to takeadvantage of their strengths. (Some veteransof the audio wars may rememberhow a five-watt amp could drive thebejeezus out of the biggest and bestdesigns in the latter days of the monoLP.) With a speaker system both flat andhighly sensitive and with a not-so-sensitivebut highly neutral speaker fromAudio Physic, the Caldera, I have beenplaying single-ended games.WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 101

HP’S WORKSHOPThe star performer so far, and one ofthe best-sounding amplifier of anytubed provenance, is the Wyetech,which has a simply phenomenal bottomend—taut, articulate, and dynamic(even on low-sensitivity designs)—andan airy, uncolored top octave that won’tsound ugly even when you push it intoclipping, though it does exhibit a slightsizzle and minor tearing at extremelyhigh levels on speakers it wasn’t meantfor (on the Caldera, for instance, therange of reproduced dynamics really suffers,but the Sapphire’s bejeweled sonicstrengths still shine through).If you must view these words asanything, look at them as a sneak preview.I know how good this amplifieris—but what I want to do before writingabout it again is spend much moretime on the appropriate high-sensitivityspeaker systems.If a high-powered amp (say 100watts or more per channel) could bemade that was a sonic duplicate of this,it would immediately become, in myestimation, a reference standard in tubedesign. (REVIEW TO COME)INTEGRATED TURNTABLESVPI Super Scoutmaster SignatureThere are, I do not doubt, “better”-sounding turntables to be found, or,put rightly, turntables less resounding,but I wonder if any are to be found anythat combine performance and cost to theextent that the Scoutmaster Series does.The Scoutmaster is Harry Weisfeld’s“bargain” design that has evolvedthrough three separate incarnations,each one more refined and better balancedthan the last. I do not intend todelineate the individual changes to eachmodel (you can do that yourself courtesyof VPI’s Web site), but I think I should,to give a context, mention some of whatis going on with the Signature.Its arm is still the JMW 9-inch offspringof its 12-inch uni-pivoted brother.In the arm’s last two iterations,Nordost interconnects (whose soniceffects we described in an earlier assessment)were added, first to the arm itselfand, in the newest version, to its junctionbox. The result, which will surpriseno one familiar with what the Nordostcan do, is less veiling, and, obviously,greater transparency, and, to these ears,a more natural tonal balance. TheJMW-9, now raised to the Signaturelevel, finally has a real anti-skatedevice instead of the awkward twistedwirearrangement of olde. The amountof internal damping—again to reduceresonance—has been increased and, forthe first time, there is external damping(in the form of the arm’s stainlesssteeltubing) as well as somewhat highermass, thus allowing the use oflighter cartridges. For the ’table itself,there is a more refined motor drive(same as in the HRX), a better beltsystem (four black nitrates, replacingthe oft-unreliable beige-colored sliderof the previous version). There is also aperiphery ring that holds down theouter lip of the disc—and it reallyworks without getting in the way ofthe cartridge—and a center clamp. (I’dalso recommend the SDS speed control,which adds $1000 to the arm/’table’smodest $5500 cost.)In and of themselves, these refinementsmay not seem, on paper, all thatimpressive, but each contributes to theaudibly smoother and more neutralsound we get from this combo (and, no,guys, the arm’s improvements don’tbegin to put it in the same league as theKuzma air-bearing straight-line trackers).The new drive belts are not as proneto slipping, and thus speed variations, asthose on the older versions of the ’table;the periphery clamp minimizes the torsionaldistortion that occurs thanks tothe raised outside edges of most LPs,while the center clamp holds down theraised center of most LPs, and the addeddamping supposedly makes the sound farsmoother. I don’t know how to quantifyeach of the differences because I have notheard them added to the basic design oneat a time. What I do know is that thething, as it has evolved, has become lessand less a creature with its own sonic signatureand, thus, more and more transparentin the reference system. In manyaspects of its performance, it exceeds thebest sound in ’tables available a decade orso ago. But not every last one.What would you get for moremoney? One hopes better isolation fromacoustic feedback—we first used ours onArcici racks, where it needed extra isolationto prevent acoustic breakthrough.Then, of late, we have been playing witha new toy from the designers of an electron-microscopesuspension system thatjust may be the last word in what theVibraplane designers started years ago.We certainly could expect more precisespeed control, just maybe more sonicsolidity in the middle frequencies, andperhaps the kind of awesome thunder inthe 30Hz region one gets from the betterClearaudio designs. But theSignature has considerable dynamic“jump” (as do all VPI designs), and asolid if not perfectly articulated bottomoctave (below, say, 30Hz). It has a wonderfullymusical authenticity and manyanalog lovers probably aren’t going tofeel the need to spend more for diminishingsonic returns.MOVING-COIL CARTRIDGESDynavector XV-1SThis is a five-star moving-coil design.I have little else to say about it, sinceit is the best of these babies I haveencountered—ever. I hear no seriousflaws. I hate to say this, but, in the hereand now and until I hear somethingmore lifelike and better, I can hear noflaws at all. (One of HP’s Laws of HighEnd goes like this: You can’t imaginesound better than the best in the hereand now until you encounter it.)However, I have loaded the cartridgeinto a 47k ohm input, and preferthat setting. I also have found, at thatsetting, a tracking force between 2.6and 2.8 grams to be optimum (dependingon the arm you use). Otherwise,before the cartridge actually mistracks,it sounds stressed and compressed inthe top octaves on fortes. The importerhas waxed furious over this trackingpressurerecommendation since hebelieves that force should be what the104 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

HP’S WORKSHOPmanufacturer/designer recommends,which is in the 2.1-gram range.Perhaps, as he suggests, this wouldwork if the cartridge were loaded way,way down below 47k, as he also suggests.I wonder, though. I have neverfound a correlation between input loadingand tracking force, but I can seehow, if the top end is rolled off, whichusually happens with very low impedanceinputs, you might not hear all theeffects of lowered tracking force.(Perhaps to prove his point, theimporter has supplied a Dynavectordesigned and approved moving-coilstep-up device, which I haven’t yet gotaround to evaluating. There are anupcoming cartridge survey and severalseemingly promising designs on hand,most of which we haven’t extensivelytested yet.)Benz Micro LP EbonyThe best-sounding transducer I’veheard from that company whose pastproducts have always left me wantingmore. This one, mated with the rightarm, is quintessentially musical.ACCESSORIESIn turning to accessories, we have awealth of choices to nominate for aGolden Ear. I could have discussed, asI did before, the Cambre Core isolationracks, which had—I think inexplicablygiven their looks—a genuinely positiveeffect on the sound of the amps Iplaced upon them, or the co-called“Magic Sticks” (more accurately andmuch more pompously, the StateTechnology Room CollimatingPillars), which I’ve feared writingabout since I cannot correlate theirperformance with any known explanationof what they do (and believe mewhat they do is revelatory, but why,why, why?). Then again, we have thesmall but significant Clearaudio testdevice that helps you set the speed ofyour turntable quite accurately andwith a minimum of fuss, courtesy of itsblue laser light. (It’s called theClearaudio Speedstrobe and consists ofa test disc and a small blue strobelight,the combo priced, by the way, at$150—way above what somethingsimilar might set you back at a localRadio Shack.)Instead, I chose the Nordost Thor,perhaps because it is one of the “newwave” components that reduce both thenoise and grunge level of any audio system.It is called an audio-distributionsystem, and it was developed in conjunctionwith Isotech, a British firmexpert in the design of such devices. TheThor isolates each device you plug intoits eight inputs from any other device,all of which remain “invisible” to eachother. (It also has surge protection andis, happily, fused, and without, Nordostsays, ill sonic effects.)There is also the matter of its topography—asilver-plated copper circuitboard, Nordost Valhalla “mains” leads,and insulation from current conductorsto ensure, the company says, “maximumpower transfer.”More mystically, at least in Nordostpresident Joe Reynolds’ description of it,it works a kind of quantum-level“voodoo,” radiating a signal into thepowerlines and into all the devices fedinto the Thor. This, he says, lowers thenoise floor. He is loathe to say what issupposed to be happening, since theauteur behind the quantum treatment isalmost mum about what is going on,but, supposedly the device produces “anordered spin on all the electrons transitingthe circuitry.” It is treated,Reynolds, said with a “proprietary electro/magneticfield.” “It works,”Reynolds says, suggesting some of itsmost striking effects will be seen on avideo image. That notion I haven’t putto the test just yet.So what is there to say about theThor? Well, pending a more detailedexamination, let’s just call it a grungeeater.It removes background noise, textures,and other common systemicquirks that are easy to hear onceremoved, but hard to define— perhapsbecause our audio language is still evolvingin this area—in conventional terms,partly because they are so endemic.MULTICHANNEL GEAREMM/Labs CD/SD playback deckWithout a doubt, the state-of-the-artturntable for SACD discs, and inits sexy industrial look, close to art.Also, simplicity itself to use.(SEE SNEAK PREVIEW, ISSUE 152)EMM/Labs DAC-6eThis is the latest revision of the SixSeries (just released this autumn), andas expected, considering the author (wizardlydesigner Ed Meitner), an interestingrefinement and improvement uponthe previous version. What is mostnotably striking about the “e” version liesin its tonal balance and reproduction ofharmonic overtones. Prior to this, theDAC sounded noticeably “whitish” (toomuch yang) up high and bleached out onstrings, without much in the way ofinstrument dimensionality as one ascendedunto the heights. With the “e,” theovertones are much more complexlydelineated and, dare I say, enriched, withthe net result of a sound more suggestiveof the best things about good analog. Thepotential of the high-definition digitalsystem, as incorporated in DSD encoding/decoding,stands nakedly revealed.Edge Electronics G AV55 multichannelmodular ampEach module, in this version, is capable ofa 500-watt output, or so say the specs(we did not measure). I believe it. Why?Because, first off, we evaluated the 200-wattversion, which was not at all to my liking,since it seemed to leave the power-hungryMagneplanars (in the Super Maggie system)wanting—that is, dynamically compressedand prone to high-frequency distortion. Nosuch thing with the G Series 55, which handlesthe biggest moments (say, those in thenew RCA Verdi Requiem by Harnoncourt)as if it were throwing rose petals to the listener.We have mostly been using EdgeElectronics with the multichannel systemin various combinations (Signatures, othersin the G series), but here we have boththe virtues of simplicity—in setup—and an almost creamy sound, and thatfrom solid-state. (REVIEW TO COME)106 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

HP’S WORKSHOPTwo Golden Ear Multichannel DSDRecordingsfor the best that DSD has to offer and it is essential for anybasic SACD collection.Music for Organ, Brass, and Timpani. Anthony Newman (organ);the Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble with Timpanist, DuncanPatton. Steven Epstein (prod.); Richard King (eng). SonomaSAC 001.You need listen no further than the opening Richard Straussditty re-scored for organ, timpani, and brass ensemble—whose long-winded title, here translated from the German, is“Solemn Entry of the Knights of the Order of St. John”—tohear what a spectacular sonic thriller this recording is. Themiking is held to a minimum and the resultant sound is verymuch as I heard it from the pews of St. Ignatius Loyola churchon Manhattan’s Upper East Side during the recording session.If you have a system that goes all the way, and with plenty ofsubwoofer power for the “.1” channel to capture the lowestnotes of the church’s justly famed organ, you can almost exactlyreplicate the performance and St. Ignatius’s glorious andwarm reverberant acoustic. It was designed to be a showcaseVerdi: Messa da Requiem. Vienna Philharmonic, NicholasHarnoncourt (cond). Arnold Shoenberg Choir. Soloists. Recordedlive, Musikverein, Vienna. Friedemann Engelbrecht (prod); MichaelBrammann (eng). RCA Red Seal. 2 CDs.Up until now, I’ve always found Harnoncourt dull to thepoint of extinction, but in the Verdi Requiem, he comesalive with a vengeance. The Dies Irae is a blockbuster, pureand simple, with a bass drum that will either bend the beamsin your walls or destroy your subwoofers. Or maybe both. Oh,yes, the brass choir is placed at an admirable distance behindyou, making full use of the multichannel capabilities.Thrilling sonically and, from an orchestral and choral standpoint,a wonder to be-hear. But, not all the soloists are, shallwe say, to the manor (or manner) born. If you are at all skepticalabout the strengths of multichannel or of high-resolutionDSD encoding, these two discs will go a long way towardmaking you a believer.108 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

HP’S WORKSHOPDigital Domination:Thoughts on Imported CD-playback GearIt may have been symptomatic ofthe current malaise in key parts ofthe American high end thatdesigners from overseas have takenthe high ground in the uphill battlesto make CDs really competitivewith analog recordings.Now, please note I did not say thatthe best CDs bettered the best analog;that day has yet to come. And possiblywon’t until we have a commerciallyviable digital encoding system that surpassesthe limitations of the 16/44process. But from abroad, we have hereat hand a group of outstanding CD players.These show the medium to itsadvantage; they play to digital’s inherentstrengths, which we now see far exceededour initial, pessimistic expectationsand which, heard aright, can actually bea source of much musical enjoyment.One of the more interesting questionsthe enhanced sonics of these playerspose is this: What will be theAmerican response?The harbinger of this revolution inplayer and decoder excellence cameabout seven years ago with theBurmester 969 player and 970 DAC.These were set at a price and (viewedthen as now) as little short of thehideous, namely, in excess of $60,000.But they set the (sonic) stage for the offspringto come.Then three years ago the Italiancompany Lector set the cognoscenti ofthe high end on their collective ear witha simple two-piece player and tubedDAC priced (at first) just above $2000. 1That combo was quickly followed byLector’s more expensive, four-piece digidrivedesign, (currently at $7000+). The1 That price has now soared in several jumps to $4300+, which genuinely annoys me since I smell a correlation between a positive review from yrs. truly and indiscreet price-inflation.Ditto, by the way, for the L’Art du Son CD cleaning fluid.WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 109

HP’S WORKSHOPfour-piece tubed unit was/is, in my estimation,twice the performer of the twopiece CD2-7TS: it got all that muchdeeper into the music’s soundfield, withthe same darkish coloration, but withoutthe susceptibility to acoustic breakthroughthat plagues all but the bestisolatedunits. A most romantic sound.There was a problem, to be sure, andthat lay in Lector’s inability to keep upwith the ensuing demand once the wordgot out. The American importer, oneVictor Goldstein, took matters into hisown hands and discovered the BluenoteCompany, another Italian firm that specializedin all sorts of high-end gear, fromLP playback systems to electronics. Whatfirst attracted Goldstein’s attention therewas the Stibbert, Bluenote’s tubed CDunit, competitively priced, we mightadd, with the four-piece Lector. It does allthat the Lector does, and a bit more—without the darkish coloration, comingcloser to the ideal of tonal neutrality.The Bluenote Stibbert, reviewed inIssue 156, turned out to be of greatervalue than I knew. It also, we learned,decodes 96/24-encoded two-channeldiscs, such as the DADs once issued byClassic Records (but not DVD-As). TheStibbert, I hasten to add, needs to playfor a while (30 minutes or so) before itsounds its best with CDs. You’ll hearits strengths right out of the box, butthe topmost octaves will sound whitishand thin. Once it settles in, that“sound” disappears, leaving its spectacularbass and highly convincingdynamic contrasts. However, if it’sDADs or their like you’re going to play,then I’ve found the warm-up time iseven longer, say, an hour or more. If itsounds edgy on high-level fortissimos,it needs more break-in. (I believe thetwo best-sounding Classic 96/24 issues,a collection of Ravel and Gershwinrecordings from Marc Aubort andJoanna Nickrenz, are still available andmuch worth having.) 2About the same time the Bluenoteplayer arrived, the Jadis JD-1 Mk II andJS-1 DAC (now being imported throughPierre Gabriel, working out of Quebec)showed up in Sea Cliff. As we were to2 Oh, horrors, I am informed that three “improvements” have been made to the Stibbert—the newer version arrives four days after the final deadline for this issue.110 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

HP’S WORKSHOPlearn, the units were the ones thatGabriel had been using, and t’weren’tlong before the player’s mechanics wentker-flooey and it had to be returned.Thanks to problems with U.S. Customs,among other things, we had to waituntil just before deadline to hear theJadis combo once again. If you’ve everheard any of Jadis’ tubed designs, youwon’t be surprised at its sound. Which isbig, expansive, and just plain gorgeous.The price of $40,000 is a big leap forward,toward the peaks established byBurmester, if not quite so stratospheric.Jadis, now back in full swing after a fewyears of great difficulty, has not lost itstouch. The sound is beautiful—uncolored,dynamic, and, like I said and EdSullivan once did, really big. When I say“uncolored” I mean without a sonic signatureto either the yin or yang side ofjust plain music, although in a way theJadis reminds me of the midrange soundyou get from a well-designed SETamplifier, which is to say, romantic.Most easy on the ears. It, like theStibbert, benefits from balanced operation.You won’t find any overt or noxiousdigital distortions, and I dare say ifthe earlier Jadis digital gear had soundedlike this, the era of feel-good digitalwe are now beginning to enjoy wouldhave come years sooner.47/Lab, which produced the Miyabimoving-coil cartridge I quite admired(and still do), has come out with a CDplayer, the 47/Lab PiTracer, that despiteclunkiness in its mechanical operation(the origins of which I still am unable topinpoint, and so I am not sure whether itis somewhat unreliable or I am) is, justmaybe, the world-beater of digital players.I know of its excellences, but at thispoint there is another contender in thewings and I am going to have to, in shortorder (in one of the next two issues), runa survey pitting the best imports oneagainst the other. It is not as expensive asthe Jadis, nor does it have balanced outputs,nor do I have the room in this essayto discuss the theory behind its operation,which is intriguing.So why I am so impressed—sonically,so far? Let’s take one example. Oneof my favored Mercurys of yore was theLP entitled Winds in Hi-Fi, a FrederickFennell/Eastman disc, the first Mercurystereo issue that had sweet, pure,extended highs, particularly in the capturingof transients, like bells and theovertone structure of winds and percussion,notably in the first and last cuts ofPercy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy andWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 111

HP’S WORKSHOPthe first and last movements ofBernard Rogers’ knock-out ThreeJapanese Dances. With the ASR in theprimary reference system (in RoomThree in Sea Cliff) this disc, along withthe Hanson Composer and His Orchestra,showed me the strengths of the alternatedigital universe. (It was WilmaCozart Fine, who oversaw the masteringof the Philips Mercury reissues,who said, a decade or more ago, thatthe CDs weren’t one whit inferior tothe analog LPs, that they just showedalternate strengths—a notion I didn’tbuy until now.) But, for the first time,with the 47/Lab PiT in play, the CDhas exactly the same balance, tonally,as the LP I so cherish, down to theexquisite high bells and high-frequencynuances that are just not audiblewith the best of the other players. The47/Lab sounds not only more precise,in the sense of unstrained accuracy, butmore delicate when delicacy isrequired, and more dynamically thunderous,especially in its taut articulationof the lows. This I did not expect.With the 47/Lab, there is a sense of airand freedom at the top that is unrivaledin my experience with digital encoding,which, to these ears, always fell short ofthe kind of top-octave reality thatdemarcates the “hi-fi” from the musical.The player and its accompanying converteraren’t exactly a bargain—$28,500for the combo, more if you must havetwo of the extra power supplies for thatlast word in refinement.So, if it’s a final word you wantjust now, sorry. I am setting up a comparativesurvey that will, in somedepth, compare, side by side, theJadis, the bargain-priced player fromMusic Hall, the new Zanden from thePacific Rim, an improved StibbertBluenote (yes, believe it or not, thenew one is said to sound even better),and the 47/Lab, which we shall also“better” with the addition of yetanother power supply.Moreover, the American “response” hasjust this day arrived, in the form of the….Well, think that, for now, it’ll be my secret.But it would be ironic, and perhaps evenfitting, if it turned out that it trumped allthose just given golden ears here.I don’t think you are going to gowrong, musically speaking, with any ofthe top three I’ve discussed here (or withthe four-piece Lector, either). The cuttingedge, in the metaphoric not thesonic sense, is now a digital one—andit’s about time.&HP would like to encourage you to write himat HPsAudioMall@aol.com112 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

Manufacturer CommentsBalanced Audio Technology VK-600SE Power AmplifierWe would like to thank Robert Harleyfor his thorough review of our referenceVK-600SE monoblock power amplifiers.Robert commented on the “transparentpalpability” of the sound of the VK-600SE and in this regard, it is interestingto note how Balanced AudioTechnology strives to achieve this transparencyand palpability independent ofwhether the devices employed are tubeor solid-state. Indeed, one can listen toour reference VK-150SE tubemonoblocks and upon immediatelyswitching to the VK-600SE, be surprisednot by the difference in sound,but by the remarkable similarity that hasbeen achieved across our solid-state andtube designs. Simplicity of design contributesto this convergence in reproducedmusic and upholds the principlethat there is but one Absolute Sound. AllBalanced Audio Technology productsstrive towards this ideal. For example,our VK-250SE reviewed by WayneGarcia in Issue 156, uses the same circuittopology as the venerable VK-600SE.Finally, we couldn’t agree more withwhat Robert writes in his conclusion.Steve Bednarski, Victor Khomenko,and Geoff PoorBalanced Audio TechnologyMoscode 401HR Tube HybridStereo AmplifierThis is a happy day for Moscode Corp,for my partner Gage Rommel, and forDr. Gizmo, who I know is looking downwith a huge grin on his kisser.Jacob Heilbrunn’s comprehensiveand beautifully written review put the401HR right in the frame. Regardingtube rolling, we made the amp bothobsolescence-proof and tunable byaccommodating a wide range of tubesgiving the user more control over thesound. Tuning the amplifier is essentialat this price point since every system isso different.Mr. Heilbrunn is exactly rightabout the bass. We’re always looking forways to improve the MoscodeExperience, and we found one in the outputstage biasing circuit. The new biasdesign extends the ultra low bassresponse by a factor of two resulting inimproved bass definition and punch.This improved bias circuit can be foundin every 401HR we sell.Jacob Heilbrunn’s hi-fi party withaudiophile friends brings to mind ourMoscode Referral Program, whichrewards 401HR owners for spreadingthe word. And don’t forget, the amplifiercomes with a no-risk 33 1/3 day inhomeaudition period.George Kaye, DesignerMoscodeWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 113

2005 Golden Ear Music AwardsWelcometo our annual Golden Ear Music Awards, with each writer choosing three of his favorite recordsreleased in 2005, giving equal consideration to musical and sonic merits. The selections aren’t meant asthe reviewers’ definitive top three from 2005, but as three of the year’s best.BOB GENDRONEdith Frost: It’s A Game. Rian Murphy,producer. Drag City 301 (LP; also availableon CD).Wonder Wonder, captures the full spectrumof sonic hues and detailed moods.While the CD is very good-sounding, theLP shines—the brushed percussion, vocalripples, upright bass plucks, studioechoes, and faintly reverb’d guitars shimmeringbefore gradually decaying, asthey would in a club.its own, its inherently distorted andplink-planking tonalities spanningavant-rock, electronica, Kraut, and mbira.Nile: Annihilation of the Wicked. NeilKernon, producer. Relapse 6630 (twoLPs; also available on CD).Konono No.1: Congotronics. VincentKenis, producer. Crammed 27 (CD; alsoavailable on LP).Ever since quitting her job as anInternet programmer, turning solo,and contacting Drag City in the mid-’90s, Edith Frost has put her name to astring of remarkable records—understatedtreasures that have substance, intimacy,soul, and none of the wallpaper boredomand audiophile-perfect sonicstreuselthat afflict many of her femalesinger-songwriter contemporaries. Whileall of the 41-year-old’s previous releasesdisplay her shifting stylistic interests andpoignant lyrics, none have the degree ofemotional vulnerability, granular tonalities,and warm organ washes of It’s AGame, on which the Texas native makesheartbreak a transcendent experience.Delicate and exposed, Frost’s tendersinging is a combination of Neko Case’sbreathless crooning, Billie Holiday’snuanced balladeering, and Kelly Hogan’sbravura-rich phrasing. Rather thanbecome angry in the face of breakups anddisappointment, she remains reserved,her timbre conveying stark resignation,beaten-down melancholy, mixed-up confusion,and lonely desperation. Thebiggest twist resides in Frost’s music,where gorgeous melodies and genre-defyingarrangements contrast the dour narratives.Chamber pop, small-combo jazz,vocal blues, indie rock, and weepingcountry surface on 13 songs, expertlyplayed by musicians in sync with Frost’srestrained approach. Rian Murphy, whoproduced Frost’s scintillating 2001The year’s best D.I.Y. record comes notfrom a New York City basement or hipLondon neighborhood but from Kinshasha,in the Republic of Congo. Formed over30 years ago, Konono No.1 is just nowmaking its American and album debut,though the 12-piece group first capturedproducer Vincent Kenis’ attention in 1980after he heard it on a French radio station.Twenty years passed before he finally locatedthe group in Kinshasha, though themusic that originally gripped him was stillthe same. Recorded outdoors on an Applecomputer and mixed with band membersat Kenis’ hotel, Congotronics capturesKonono No.1’s dynamic art, idiosyncraticinstruments, and one-of-a-kind amplificationsystem—whereby Bazombo tranceand traditional African drone are wroughtfrom a trio of electric ikembes (thumbpianos) that are plugged into homemademicrophones constructed of car-alternatormagnets, carved wood, and scrap, and thenfed through conical speakers that in theWest qualify as megaphones. Laden withshaking dance grooves, modulated pitches,percussive polyrhythms (played ondrums comprising pots, pans, and junkmetal), recurring choruses, and metronomicvocals, the music takes on a life ofEgyptology is a field pursued by academics,paleontologists, museumcurators—and Nile’s Karl Sanders. Theguitarist/vocalist incorporates the disciplineinto his lyrics and Middle Easternaccenteddeath metal, and onAnnihilation of the Wicked, goes to theextent of writing detailed annotations onhistorical figures that inspire difficultlytitled songs like “User-Maat-Re.” Theapproach might be laughable if not forthe quartet’s expert musicianship,unorthodox time signatures, and visionarysequences. Fixated on the ancients,Sanders growls about crocodile gods,megalomaniac pharaohs, and Books ofthe Dead over a morass of harrowing riffs,pummeling percussion, ominous chants,and gong-clanging marches. Available ona striking gatefold double-LP, the albumhas a near-subterranean low-end andexotic sounds aplenty—acoustic GreekBouzouki phrasings, furious live drumblasts that reach up to 256 beats perminute, ceramic Pazuzu Bowls, andTurkish ouds. Told from the perspectiveof Osiris’ doomed enemies, “The BurningPits of the Duat” contains swift, brutalpatterns that initially left Sanders withsuch excruciating wrist pain, he fearedhis career was over. Extreme metal at itsfinest, Nile’s earth-quaking rumbleaptly conjures up scenes of templesbeing shaken to the ground and mummiesrising from tombs.116 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

DERK RICHARDSONScott Amendola Band: Believe.Amendola and Jeff Gauthier, producers.Cryptogramophone 123.Since he moved to San Francisco 13years ago, drummer ScottAmendola’s reputation has grown tothe point where he must be recognizedas a major composer and bandleader onthe experimental tip of jazz. Whileplaying pivotal supporting roles behinda tremendous variety of musicians(including Madeleine Peyroux, PatMartino, Dave Liebman, John Zorn,and Bill Frisell) and in such guitar-centricbands as T.J. Kirk, the Nels ClineSingers, and L. Stinkbug (with Cline,G.E. Stinson, and Steuart Liebig),Amendola has gradually forged hiseclectic sensibilities into an ensembleaesthetic that’s as emotionally thrillingas it is musically complex. While hefeatured Eric Crystal’s saxophones onhis eponymous 2000 debut and 2003’sCry, for Believe he brought in AACMand Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker to joinNels Cline (six- and 12-string guitars,lap steel) and Jenny Scheinman (violin)as the third front-line voice, while heand bassist John Schifflet lock, load,and explode on the rhythm section.Retaining starkly individual personalities—manifestedin timbres and phrasing—theseplayers mesh with an easethat you might take for granted untilyou realize how much diverse and challengingmaterial Amendola throws intheir paths. Quirky Monk, funky Miles,grungy Neil Young, noirish Morricone,border-bashing exotica, scratchy avantgardeelectronica (Amendola is a wizwith loops, live electronics, treatments,electric mbira, and melodica, aswell as traps and percussion), and meditativeballadry inform these nine texturallycomplicated pieces. But no elementor influence sounds gratuitous or random,and the cinematic sonic mix, providingboth high definition and warmcoherence, gives more than enoughdetailed evidence—from solid bassthrough misty atmospherics, thick guitarand violin overtones to delicatelyticking cymbals—to make any new listenera believer.John Vanderslice: Pixel Revolt.Vanderslice and Scott Solter, producers.Barsuk 44 (two 180-gram LPs; alsoavailable on CD).John Vanderslice is an analog fanatic tothe point of 86ing the ProTools rigfrom his old-school Tiny Telephonerecording studio in San Francisco, stockpilingtape in his apartment during theQuantegy crisis, and beseeching his labelto issue this, his fifth and best album, on180-gram vinyl (500 numbered, doublegatefoldLPs sold out in six days). So youcan be sure Pixel Revolt sounds great, asdeep and detailed as any pop record inrecent memory. More importantly,Vanderslice exploits technology for profoundlyhuman ends: The obsessive placementof meticulously orchestrated soundwell serves brilliantly conceived and realizedsongs that explore left-field themes (astar-struck stalker, a wounded soldier losinghis sense of mission in Iraq, anescaped pet bunny, a journalist’sencounter with an Iraqi hooker, a detectivewho suspects his colleague is a serialmurderer, and more) in sometimesmetaphorical, sometimes literal language.A film buff as well as guitarist, keyboardist,and affectingly sweet and vulnerablevocalist, Vanderslice understandshow even auteurs rely on collaboration.For Pixel Revolt, John Darnielle of theMountain Goats helped with the lyrics,David Berman of Silver Jews came upwith some titles, and avant-jazz cellistErik Friedlander did the string arrangements.Vanderslice’s musical alter-egoScott Solter took care of abundant miscellany—E-bowedguitar, tape manipulation,organ, vibraphone, hand drums,Wurlitzer, church bells, “sky saw” guitar—thathelps make Pixel Revolt feel asclassic as David Bowie’s Hunky Dory orEno and Fripp’s Another Green World,while more than measuring up to hipcontemporary standards.World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love’s a RealThing—The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of WestAfrica. Various producers. Luaka Bop 52.The hallucinogenic aural qualitiescreated almost accidentally by bentintonations in the horn sections andswirling multiple guitar lines in ’60sand ’70s African pop music are moredeliberately pursued by bands gatheredhere, whether in their Hendrixlikefeedback emulations, JamesBrown-inspired screams, or Sly Stoneishinterpolations. These are theSenegalese, Gambian, Nigerian,Ghanaian, Malian, and Guinean successorsto the Seeds and Standells, contemporariesof latter-day Temptations,precursors to Antibalas and Outkast,and though the sometimes muffledand out-of-whack mixes are tooingrained to be remedied, this is definitelya case where sound is more thansonics. Spell it with a capital “S”—that stands for soul.118 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

WAYNE GARCIATom Brosseau: What I Mean To Say IsGoodbye. Sam Jones, producer. Loveless 021.Lightnin’ Hopkins: Goin’ Away. OzzieCadena, producer. AnalogueProductions/Bluesville 1073 (two45rpm 180-gram LPs).Neil Young: Prairie Wind. Young and BenKeith producers. Reprise/ClassicRecords 49593 (two 200-gram LPs;also available on a Reprise CD).Simple, down-to-earth, and yet rivetingin its beauty, Tom Brosseau’sWhat I Mean To Say is Goodbye is thesleeper CD of the year. The sweetvoicedNorth Dakotan’s music has thekind of timeless and slightly weirdAmericana feeling one hears in the bestwork of, say, Gillian Welch, TomWaits, or Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes.But Brosseau sounds like none of them.Okay, the opening track, “West ofTown,” may recall the very early Dylan,as might Brosseau’s rhythmic acousticguitar playing and occasional harmonicasolos, but before cursing him withthat comparison let me underline thatBrosseau is his own man and, at 28, afully mature artist. What I Mean To SayIs Goodbye is an intimate, almost fragilemusical journey that one minute mightwhisk you away in a gentle waltz(“Unfamiliar Places”) and the nextmight conjure a tune from Tin PanAlley (“That’s When Your HeartacheBegins”). Sonics are first-rate.Produced by Sam Jones (who directedthe Wilco documentary I Am Trying ToBreak Your Heart), there’s an easy clarity,lack of grain, and sweetness to thesound that we don’t normally hearfrom CD. Brosseau’s vocals areextremely well captured, as are theinstruments, which include heartbreakinglybeautiful fiddles, organ,piano, and harmonium. Only a slighttouch of dynamic compression and thelack of the last degree of air keep thisfrom earning a five-star sonic rating.Musically, it’s right there.Though there were many temptingreissue titles to consider for thisyear’s Golden Ear Awards, I’ve selectedthis 1963 recording by Texasblues great Lightnin’ Hopkins.Recorded in a single day by RudyVan Gelder on a two-track Ampex300 deck running at 15ips, Goin’Away’s sound is as direct as themusic it contains. With LeonardGaskin on bass and Herbie Lovelleon drums, Hopkins (on acoustic guitar)delivers eight of his own unusuallybeautiful yet still-earthy takeson the blues. This is classic stuff,steeped in the old traditions yetsomehow made fresh and contemporaneousby Hopkins, whose lyricswere reportedly improvised on thespot. As a guitarist, Hopkins wasremarkably fluid and subtle, and hisdeft soloing here is notably sophisticatedfor an acoustic blues album.Part of Acoustic Sounds’ 45rpmFantasy Series, Goin’ Home soundsstaggeringly natural. The soundstageis wide open, with Hopkinsand friends set out before us in a veryholographic space; instrumental texturesare warm and detailed, as isHopkins’ richly oiled leathery voice.Van Gelder managed to capture aparticularly lifelike dynamic scale onthis date, and because Lovelle’s drumwork is mostly on a brushed snare,most good systems will sound greatwith this musical and sonic treasure.Up until 2003’s Greendale, Reprise hadreleased each of Neil Young’s recordingson LP as well as CD. With thatlabel now eschewing vinyl, ClassicRecords has picked up the slack, andmagnificently so, releasing Greendale,the recent Greatest Hits package, and lastyear’s Prairie Wind on gorgeous-soundingslabs of 200-gram vinyl. A mostlyacoustic album recorded in Nashville,Prairie Wind is a beautifully crafted yetloosely structured record that balancesintrospective fireside ballads with a fewrollicking numbers, such as “Far FromHome” with its honking Memphisstylehorns, and the tasty-fun Elvis tribute,“He Was the King.” Arguably notas accessible as Young’s two otheracoustic sets, Harvest and Harvest Moon,some of Prairie Wind’s arrangements,which might include swelling strings(the title track) or backup singers (“HeWas The King” and “When God MadeMe”), take a while to settle in. As theydo, Prairie Wind reveals itself as a beautifuland deeply affecting record thatgrows richer with each listen. The CDversion sounds very good, but the vinylis magnificent—intensely immediate,spacious, clear, and detailed, with freerangingdynamics and a bottom endthat is well-defined while at the sametime sounding as if it’s going to drill ahole through your floor and straight tomiddle earth. The many-layered instrumentaltimbres are warm and natural, asare Young’s and the other vocals.120 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

ANDREW QUINTProkofiev: Alexander Nevsky—completefilm music. Marina Domaschenko,mezzo-soprano; Ernst Senft Choir.Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, FrankStrobel, conductor. Maria Grüatzel andChristian Schwalbe, producers. Capriccio71014 (hybrid multichannel SACD).attackers placed in the rear channels toheighten the sense of a battle inprogress. Prokofiev wanted an uglysound for those horns and here, with acombination of flutter-tonguing andperhaps some intentional distortion,the musical point is tellingly made.Music for Organ, Brass, and Timpani.Anthony Newman, organist; GrahamAshton Brass Ensemble. Steven Epstein,producer. Sonoma SAC-001 (hybrid multichannelSACD).achieves the seemingly impossible,delivering the impact of the organ andbrasses, plus giving a marvelous senseof the large space’s five- to six-secondreverberation time. There’s a feeling ofmajesty and power, even when thedynamic level isn’t loud. And whenthe volume does increase, the effect isalways one of grandeur.Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for SoloViolin. Julia Fischer, violin. Job Maarse,producer. PentaTone 5186 072 (twohybrid multichannel SACDs).One of the finest-sounding releases ofthe year also happens to be amongthe most interesting. Prokofiev’sseven-movement Alexander Nevsky“Cantata” is quite familiar but, untilnow, we’ve been unable to actuallyhear the original film score fromwhich the composer created the concertwork. The music track for SergeyEisenstein’s 1938 epic—which celebratedthe defeat of invading Germanwarriors in 1242 by Russian tribesmenunified by Nevsky—is primitivelydim, almost to the point of beingunlistenable. Only recently was FrankStrobel given access to the originalscore to recreate the movie’s 27 musicalcues. The orchestration is subtlyleaner than that of the Cantata, andthere’s a good deal of material in the55-minute score that will be unfamiliar,such as the saxophone accompanimentto the hymn heard in the invader’scamp. The Berlin radio orchestraand choral group perform very welland Marina Domaschenko’s soulfulmezzo is just right for “The Field ofthe Dead.” Sonics are clear and open,with excellent choral/orchestral balances.Bells in “Novgorod” and“Return to Pskov” ring out withexceptional immediacy. The surroundpossibilities are nicely exploited, withthe menacing “Teutonic horns” of theThis audio spectacular—easily one ofthe half-dozen best-engineered multichannelrecordings I’ve heard—is thefirst release from Sonoma Records, alabel started specifically to demonstratethe potential of the SACD medium.Producer Steven Epstein broughttogether the distinguished keyboardplayer Anthony Newman and a crackbrass ensemble led by trumpeterGraham Ashton at New York City’s St.Ignatius Loyola, home of a mightyMander pipe organ. The wonderful programoffers effective arrangements byNewman and Ashton of music from fourcenturies, all played with style andfinesse. Highlights include the somberand sonorous Solemn Entry of the Knights ofthe Order of St. John by Richard Strauss anda stately, ceremonial reading of Handel’sOverture from Music for the RoyalFireworks. There are also selections byGabrieli, Bach, Monteverdi,Rachmaninoff, and a heart-stopping transcriptionof The Great Gate of Kiev fromMussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.Engineer Richard King positioned thebrass and timpani in the organ loft, toeither side of the console. As promised inthe notes, the instruments emerge aurally,from back to front. The recordingCan music for one violin be as emotionallyoverwhelming as a Verdiopera or Mahler symphony? Yes, if themusic is by J.S. Bach and the soloist isHeifetz, Grumaiux—or Julia Fischer.This 22-year-old’s career has taken offon both sides of the Atlantic, and shehas both the transcendental techniqueand deep insight needed for these sixprofound works. Fast movements areevenly and effortlessly played, the slowones poignantly shaped. The dancesdance. When there are multiple voices,Fischer makes the individual linesas clearly defined as they would be byan ensemble. Even with only a singlemelody instrument, Bach’s underlyingharmonic structure is fully evident.The great Chaconne from the D minorPartita pulses and surges like a livingorganism. The DSD encoding is tonallysumptuous; this recording couldeasily demonstrate the possibilities ofmultichannel to the unconvinced.Listening first to the stereo and thento the surround program reveals howFischer’s violin subtly gains in dimensionalityand palpability, and thenature of the venue, an Amsterdamchurch, is more fully characterized.122 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

ANDY DOWNINGAntony and the Johnsons: I Am A BirdNow. Antony, producer. Secretly Canadian105 (CD; also available on LP).childhood idol George, the two soulsisterstransforming the track’s simplesentiments into a touchingexchange that at a New York Cityperformance reduced the hardenedReed to tears. It’s a record so fullyrealized and expertly crafted that it’salmost puzzling when, on “For TodayI Am A Boy,” Antony coos the line“someday I’ll grow up and feel thepower in me.” With I Am A Bird, it’sclear that he already has.original “The Skin of My YellowCountry Teeth,” it’s a reminder that amajor-label budget and years of studioacumen can’t stand up to creativityand the unchecked joy of youth. Feelfree to clap along.Okkervil River: Black Sheep Boy. BrianBeattie and Okkervil River, producers.Jagjaguwar 80 (CD; also available on LP).The cover of I Am a Bird Now, theMercury Prize-winning sophomorealbum from Antony and theJohnsons, features Peter Hujar’sfamous photograph of Candy Darlingon her deathbed. The black-andwhiteshot of the cross-dressing LouReed cohort, which at once capturessadness, beauty, defiance, and sexuality,is the perfect depiction ofAntony’s music. His songs occupythat middle ground between lightand dark, tackling everything fromgender confusion to loss to transformation.Over the course of thealbum’s ten tracks, Antony wishes hewere a girl, a bird, and eventually, abird-girl. Despite the assistance ofnearly 30 musicians and guestappearances from the likes of LouReed and Boy George, the recordmaintains an intensely personal feel,the focus never straying fromAntony’s haunting voice, an instrumentthat calls to mind BillieHoliday, Nina Simone, and JeffBuckley. While lively, the arrangementsnever revert to over-the-topcabaret trappings. This marks a welcomechange from Antony’s ambitiousyet spotty self-titled debut, assongs are now able to fully blossomunder his gentle hand. “Hope There’sSomeone” is one of the prettiest andmost moving tunes recorded thisyear—a funeral torch song whosebeauty is heightened by the sparsearrangement. “You Are My Sister”finds Antony trading verses with hisClap Your Hands Say Yeah: Clap YourHands Say Yeah. Adam Lasus andCYHSY, producers. Self-released.Indie D.I.Y. at its best, the unfortunatelynamed Clap Your Hands SayYeah managed to sell more than20,000 copies of its debut albumwithout so much as a distributor. (Theband now has a distribution deal withWarner Music, but no record label asof yet.) As such, the production isnoticeably lo-fi, though the exuberanceof these twenty-somethings morethan makes up for the lack of pop inthe drums. Plus, Alec Ounsworth’slove-’em-or-hate-’em vocals alwayssound as crisp as a pressed Oxford.“Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away”establishes the band’s funhouseapproach, guitars whirring andbuzzing like the spinning gears of atilt-a-whirl. On “Upon This TidalWave of Young Blood,” Ounsworthchannels David Byrne with the accuracyof someone being fit for his ownBig Suit. Indeed, Clap Hands oftensound like a twitchier Talking Heads,but the songs never come across asderivative. And when the band strikesout on its own, as on the refreshinglyTaking its title from the TimHardin song of the same name,Black Sheep Boy is an elaborate songcyclethat veers between bloodthirstyrevenge (“Black”) and defeatedacceptance (“Stone”). OkkervilRiver, gelled by years of near-constanttouring, imbue these tuneswith a down-home mix of lap steel,pump organ, mandolin, andWurlitzer that belie the complexityof singer/guitarist Will Sheff’swordy verses; few could sing the line“He’s the thrill of the abecedarian”and make it catchy. The productionqualities are exceptional, with awide soundstage and clear separationbetween instruments. Special care isgiven to the surprisingly elegantstring arrangements. Wisely, Sheffremains the focal point, his voiceoften riding into the red in barelytemperedemotional outpourings.Just listen to the eight-minute “SoCome Back I Am Waiting” whereSheff, backed by the light strum ofan acoustic guitar, unravels into amodern-day King Lear. It’s herewhere his cry of “there are plenty ofways to know you’re not dying”nails down the concept behind Boy:the singular act of feeling helps usto know we are human.124 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

DAN DAVISMendelssohn: Complete String Quartets.Pacifica Quartet. Judith Sherman, producer.Cedille 90000082 (three CDs).Vivaldi: Bajazet. Soloists, Fabio Biondi,conductor. Nicolas Barthelomée, producer.Virgin 45676.Geza Anda: Troubadour of the Piano.Various Works. DG Original Masters4775289 (five CDs).The Mendelssohn String Quartetsare getting more attention thesedays. There are seven, plus an eighthcobbled together from four separatemovements, and they’re among thefinest examples of post-Beethovenstring quartets of the nineteenth century.Recent sets by the Talich and theEmerson Quartets seemed to makeany new one superfluous, but this collectionby a less-well-knownAmerican foursome is at least as goodas the Talich, while the Pacifica’swarmer, more varied tonal resourcesmake it superior to the acclaimedEmersons. First violinist SiminGanatra leads with verve, her stunningsolos a perfect component of anensemble sound that gives inner andlower voices their due. The Pacificaadds to its timbral appeal an abundantenergy and the Old World virtue ofhumane musicality. Listening to theseworks, you feel the players love andunderstand them, and they make youdo so, too. They’re also alive to the differencesamong the Quartets, so thatthe earliest of the group, written whenMendelssohn was 14, is appropriatelygiven Haydnesque proportions while thelarger-scaled works get the right blendof gravity and drive. Scherzos zip alongwith air-borne finesse; slow movementsare soulful without dragging. The soundis first-class, well balanced with a transparencythat reveals details in a naturalmanner that contributes to the “you arethere” perspective. A wonderful threefor-twobargain.This selection stands for one of thegreat discoveries of the CD era, therevival of Vivaldi’s operatic output,pioneered by labels like Opus 111and Virgin. The plot of Bajazet pitsthe eponymous sultan against thedespot Tamerlane, and features a bevyof complications and twists. Thisopera is really about singing, one lusciousaria following on the footstepsof another, virtually all qualityexamples of virtuoso Baroquesinging. Sample mezzo VivecaGeneaux’s “Quel guerriero in campoarmato,” bristling with dazzling coloraturaruns that leave you, but nother, gasping for breath. The rest ofthe cast is nothing less than fabulous.David Daniels, the Tamerlano,made me forget my aversion to countertenors,and the other principalsare also terrific, affecting in the contemplativearias, brilliant in theextroverted ones. Don’t be put offbecause the opera is a pastiche;Vivaldi cobbled it together usingarias from leading composers of theday along with his own, a commonpractice of the time. Kudos to FabioBiondi, who guided this project andadded a few other Vivaldi arias to fillholes in the score. Biondi leads ascintillating performance, and hisperiod instrument band, EuropaGalante, plays with a drive and burnishedtone few such groups canmatch. Add engineering as vibrantas the performance, and you get anexperience that shouldn’t be missed.Anda was one of the top pianists of the1950s and ’60s, renowned for hisMozart, Schumann, and definitiveBartók interpretations. The album’stitle comes from a Furtwängler descriptionof Anda’s playing and is confirmedby these discs, crammed with keyboardartistry ranging from the noble, largescaleBrahms Second Piano Concertowith Fricsay to virtuoso turns inSchumann, for whom Anda had anaffinity and whose music comprisesabout a third of this five-disc budgetpricedset. The Schumann’s are superblydone and include first-rate interpretationsof masterpieces like the Fantasy,Kreisleriana, and more, including a fineConcerto with Kubelik and two versions,from 1943 and 1963, of theSymphonic Etudes. There’s also aChopin disc with some nice moments,along with excellent Liszt and Bartók.But my favorite disc is shared byBeethoven’s Diabelli Variations, a verypersonal reading that finds often overlookeddetails and humor, andSchubert’s great last Sonata, a compellinginterpretation different in shapeand detail from what we’re used tohearing, with a flowing first movement,wide dynamic range, and flexibletempos. Almost everything is in stereo,the mono items from the war years eminentlylistenable—remarkably fresh inthe 1943 Schumann SymphonicEtudes, beautifully played but cottonwrappedin Franck’s SymphonicVariations. This is one of the best ofUniversal’s Original Masters series.126 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

DAVID MCGEEDan Penn: Moments From This Theatre:Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham Live.Neil Brockbank and Bobby Irwin, producers.Proper Records 002.Two giants of southern soul are finallycaptured on disc, playing together—Pennon acoustic guitar, Oldhamon the Wurlitzer piano—live beforeaudiences in Ireland and the U.K.,when in 1998 they were opening ontour for Nick Lowe and performing aset composed mostly of songs theywrote together—well, not songs, butmonuments that are definingmoments in the music they helpedshape in Memphis and Muscle Shoalsduring the ’60s and ’70s. Penn playsbasic, straightforward rhythms onacoustic guitar, Oldham adds eloquentfiligree on the Wurlitzer, and Penngets the messages across with husky,blues-tinged vocals that are mesmerizingin their plainspoken expressiveness—neverimitative of the originalsbut singular interpretations, righteousand magnificent on their own terms.Oldham steps into the vocal spotlightonce, for a sly, winking rendition of asuggestive treat he co-wrote withFreddie Weller, “Lonely Women MakeGood Lovers,” immortalized by BobLuman in 1975. Penn does someamazing things, like digging into“Dark End of the Street” and “It TearsMe Up,” honoring James Carr andPercy Sledge, respectively, with richgospel-inflected readings, as his rhythmicphrasing and the duo’s livelyrhythmic attack summon the buoyantspirit of Otis Redding. With theirinstruments and voices close-miked,Penn and Oldham’s performances havea dramatic immediacy made doublypotent by the resonance of their songs.A slow, deliberate version of James andBobby Purify’s “I’m Your Puppet” anda gently swaying take on the Box Tops’“Cry Like a Baby” reveal the heartachethat lay in the shadows of the hit versions’upbeat arrangements. Andcheck out Penn’s voice morphing intoSam Cooke’s on “I’m Living Good,”particularly when he soars into those“whoa-whoa” fills with the assuranceof the master himself (who, by theway, did not record the song). All thehuman emotions are in play, eloquentlyarticulated, carefully explored, andbeautifully realized. An unexpected,absolutely essential gem.Rodney Crowell: The Outsider. Crowelland Peter Coleman, producers.Columbia 94470.The artist who threatens to be thechampeen Texas alpha-male singersongwriterof his generation deliversnothing less than his most fully realizedliterary and musical work on TheOutsider. In ruminations alternatelyscalding and plaintive, Crowell makesthe personal political and takes thepolitical very personally. Other writerswill have to go a ways to capture thespiritual and emotional temper of thetimes better than Crowell does in theIrish-tinged howl “We Can’t TurnBack,” the merciless, hard-driving“Don’t Get Me Started,” and somber,sober proverbs of “Ignorance Is theEnemy.” By the same token, in the lilting,wistful reminiscences of “GlasgowGirl” Crowell plumbs depths of yearningand longing in lyrics crafted withsurgical precision to achieve a visceralimpact further heightened by thedelicacy of the song’s shuffling,acoustic-driven arrangement. Lovesongs, topical songs, a calming coverof Dylan’s “Shelter From the Storm”(with Emmylou Harris), and a supportingcast equally at home in bruisingrock ’n’ roll, folk, and contemporarycountry styles elevate Crowell andThe Outsider onto a plane where the airis rarified, the message vital, and themusic timeless.June Carter Cash: Church In theWildwood: A Treasure of AppalachianGospel. John Carter Cash, producer.Dualtone 80302012192.With Johnny Cash being all the ragethis year, it’s tempting to list oneof the Man in Black’s excellent retrospectiveshere, but let’s all agree thatthose discs would rank with anyyear’s favorites, and focus instead onthe underappreciated work of JuneCarter Cash as a solo artist. This secondvolume of a two-disc overview ofCarter’s late-life, John Carter Cashproducedsessions is, intentionally ornot, the story of the Carter Familyfrom its inception to the present day.Most of the tunes are by one Carter oranother, and various Carter kin—blood and honorary (such as Johnny’sformer son-in-law Marty Stuart)—show up to make it happen in stirringfashion. From an old-time gospel renditionof A.P. Carter’s “Anchored inLove” (featuring A.P.’s offspring Joeand Janette Carter) to June’s sparerendering of “Will the Circle BeUnbroken,” this collection speaks tofundamental needs with the power ofmighty waters.128 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

FRED KAPLANMaria Schneider Jazz Orchestra: Live atthe Jazz Standard—Days of Wine andRoses. David Baker, producer.ArtistShare.label of 10 years, Enja, to join the artistownedconsortium, ArtistShare. Thisand all her other albums are availableonly through artistshare.com and mariaschneider.com.Thelonious Monk: Thelonious MonkQuartet with John Coltrane at CarnegieHall. T.S. Monk and Michael Cuscuna, producers.Mosaic MQ1-231 (200-gram LP).This live recording of a November1957 concert—the tapes for whichwere believed long-gone until a routinearchival search at the Library ofCongress turned them up—turns outto be one of the greatest jazz albumsof all time. The quartet had beenplaying at a club downtown nearlyevery night for the previous fourmonths, and it rips and sails throughthe knottiest Monk classics—“Nutty,” “Epistrophy,” “Crepisculewith Nellie,” “Monk’s Mod”—withmore freedom, discipline, lyricism,and intensity than ever before, by thisor any other band. Drummer ShadowWilson and bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik are barely mentioned in mostaccounts of this quartet, probablybecause they play rather perfunctorilyon the band’s one studio album(Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane,recorded a few months earlier). Yethere they reveal verve, authority, anda creative flair. Check the concertalbum’stwo versions of “Epistrophy.”On the first, Wilson lays down aLatin groove; on the second, heweaves a complex, jagged rhythm; inboth, the band follows suit. On thestudio album, he just rat-a-tat tapsthe basic beat. This is not some amateurbootleg. It was recorded by professionalengineers for the Voice ofAmerica—though, for some reason, itwas never broadcast and soon afterforgotten. (I’ve never seen a referenceto the concert in seemingly comprehensivediscographies.) The bass is abit veiled, dynamics are slightly constricted,and the tape is mono, but itsounds good; the deficiencies don’tget in the way. The album is commerciallyavailable as a CD on BlueNote. Mosaic’s 200-gram LP soundswarmer, airier, and more detailed.Brad Mehldau Trio: Day Is Done.Mehldau, producer. Nonesuch 79910.Maria Schneider is the big-bandcomposer of the moment.Influenced less by Ellington or Basiethan by Gil Evans and BobBrookmeyer, her music is luscious,dreamy, ripe with stacked harmonies,and yet also propelled forward by clearmelodies and insistent rhythms. Her2004 Grammy-winning album,Concert in the Garden, was her mostimpressionistic to date. This latestCD, recorded in 2000 but not releasedtill late this year, is more tuneful—four of the nine tracks are her arrangementsof standards—but no less richand mysterious. It was recorded at theJazz Standard, one of New York City’smost acoustically satisfying clubs, andmixed, on the spot, live to two channels—ahair-raising task. Yet it’sSchneider’s best-sounding album:clear, dynamic, tonally true, perfectlybalanced. Manning the controls wasDavid Baker, a prominent studio engineerwith audiophile leanings whodied last year. The album is a tributeas much to him as to Schneider—amodel of how a live concert can becaptured without resort to electronicsleight-of-hand or post-productionfixes. Schneider was booked in theclub for a week; the first two nights,Baker worked on the balances, consultingwith Schneider after the sets;after that, they rolled for real and, afterthe week was done, picked the besttakes. Two years ago, Schneider left herI’ve long had mixed feelings aboutBrad Mehldau, the wunderkind jazzpianist of 10 years’ standing. He’sclearly a virtuoso, but sometimes he’stoo eager to flaunt his genius, puttingthe music in service of his filigree,not the other way around. But thisCD is a gem. It consists mainly ofpop and show tunes, yet Mehldauavoids the common trap of rock-jazz“fusion,” respecting the spirit andintegrity of the songs but infusingthem with jazz idiom, as if they’vebeen jazz standards all along.Mehldau has pulled off something ofa revival of what jazz masters routinelydid in the ’40s and ’50s, thoughhe’s brought the practice up to date,drawing on Radiohead, Nick Drake,and The Beatles instead of Porter,Gershwin, and Kern. Bassist LarryGrenadier and drummer Jeff Ballardplay with, off, and against him. Thesound quality, overseen by veteranengineer James Farber, is bracing,and gets both the harmonic bloomand percussive snap.130 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

m u s i c CLASSICALClassical CapsBeethoven: Razumovsky Quartets, Op. 59,Nos. 1–3. Tokyo String Quartet. Robina G.Young, producer; Brad Michel, engineer.Harmonia Mundi 807423-24.Music: ★★★★ Sonics: ★★★★If you canrememberwhen the TokyoString Quartetconsisted of fourstring playersfrom Tokyo—including two guys named Harada, nowboth gone—then you have been on thescene for at least 25 years. The groupitself, reformed several times (mostrecently in 2002, when Martin Beaverjoined as first violinist), has been aroundsince 1969 and still has its original violist,Kazuhide Isomura, and a second violinist,Kikuei Ikeda, who might as well be original,having taken his seat in 1974. Butwhile its “inner voices” have been thesame for the past three decades, thegroup’s character, and its approach toBeethoven, has changed dramatically—and on balance, for the better. This recordingmarks the beginning of a new partnershipwith Harmonia Mundi (specificallyits American wing and resident producerRobina Young), and holds out thepromise of marvelous things to come.Starting with the RazumovskyQuartets is itself a savvy move. Theyremain Beethoven’s most popular essaysin the genre, symphonically grand inscale (particularly the first of the set, inF), intensely emotional, powerfullyargued, and full of exciting compositionaland harmonic gambits. They are particularlynotable for the way they pushthe envelope of string-quartet “sound,”and it is here that the Tokyo’s approach ismost evidently different when comparedwith its 1989-90 traversal of the middlequartets for RCA Red Seal. The oldTokyo players were the epitome of rectitudeand polish, with a sound close toTokyo String QuartetMozartean. The new gang is much morecolorful and dramatic, its playing lessfine-grained and more robust. Indeed,cellist Clive Greensmith, who joined thegroup in 1999, verges on rough-hewn inplaces. The readings, while similar interms of tempo, are more aggressive andpropulsive, asserting a much biggerdynamic range and making more of localdynamic emphases. The sound is stillwell varnished, but you wouldn’t call itMozartean any more. All three works areengagingly presented. The E minor quartet,Op. 59, No. 2, is especially welldone; its slow movement, the lengthiestin the whole set, receives a performancethat is particularly heartfelt.There is a superb immediacy to therecorded sound—the foursome’s presencein soft dynamics is uncannily real—andbalances are consistent across all 12movements, an advantage that comeswith packing sessions into four consecutivedays. The atmosphere is close toideal: on the dry side so that detailemerges, but sufficiently live to createspace around the group. TED LIBBEYFURTHER LISTENING: Beethoven: MiddleQuartets (Tokyo); Beethoven: EarlyQuartets (Tokyo)Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14.Schubert: String Quartet No. 14(“Death and the Maiden”). JuilliardString Quartet. Peter Dellheim,original producer. Testament 1373.Music: ★★★★ Sonics: ★★★ 1/2Debussy: String Quartet. Ravel:String Quartet. Webern: FiveMovements for String Quartet;Six Bagatelles for String Quartet.Juilliard String Quartet. Dellheim,original producer. Testament1375. Music: ★★★★Sonics: ★★★Here at last are reissues of the JuilliardQuartet’s long-neglected recordingsmade for RCA in the late 1950s and early1960s during the relatively brief hiatusthat interrupted its years with Columbia.Although the quartet made its mark with20th Century music, especially Bartók andSchoenberg, the Juilliard’s lean, clean, andenergetic playing style was as salutary inits performances of the Viennese classics.The ensemble need fear no comparisons inthe Beethoven, where its accuracy andrhythmic command produce an excitingperformance. In the mighty Andantemovement, the musicians make the bigtheme sing, expertly master the transitionsbetween the variations, and fully conveyBeethoven’s gruff, off-beat humor as wellas the darker moments. The Juilliard’sPresto movement is downright funny, andwill bring a smile to your face with its perfectlytimed stops and starts, as well as aweat the accuracy of the fugal playing in theFinale. The Schubert is on the sameWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 133

m u s i c classicallevel—vigorously dramatic, as deathobsessedas the composer wished it to be,and brilliantly virtuosic.The Debussy-Ravel pairing has hadmany fine recordings, including onemade 30 years later for Sony by theJulliard, whose members still includedfounder Robert Mann at first violin. Thatlater digital recording is somewhat moreexpansive, “impressionistic,” and itssound more diffuse. I may be among theminority that prefers these earlierJuilliard versions, with their greatertransparency and directness that benefitsboth works as well as the gnomic Webernpieces that complete the program.The sound on both of these reissuesis upfront and vivid, almost too muchso in the Ravel, where the violinapproaches shrillness in its higherreaches. The busy pizzicato movementsof the Debussy and Ravel feature complexitieswell-realized by the unnamedoriginal engineers, and the Debussyends with a plucked cello note thathangs in the air before slowly fadingaway. In the Beethoven-Schubert, theinner voices come through loud andclear, without undue exaggeration, aproduct of both players and engineers.Best of all, more Juilliard Victors are onthe way from Testament. DAN DAVISFURTHER LISTENING: Beethoven:Complete String Quartets (QuartettoItaliano)RECORDING OF THE ISSUEMozart: Sonatas for Piano and Violin.Hilary Hahn, violin; Natalie Zhu, piano.Thomas Frost, producer; Stephan Flock,engineer. Deutsche Grammophon 04771.Music: ★★★★ 1/2 Sonics: ★★★★About a decadeago, when shewas just startingto make a splashin the musicworld, I stuck myneck out (infront of several million NPR listeners)and enthused mightily over the playingof Hilary Hahn. The last time Ihad done something similar for a 16-year-old violinist had been in 1980,for Anne-Sophie Mutter. I neverregretted going ape for Anne-Sophie,and see no reason to pull my neck innow on account of Ms. Hahn, who willhave turned 26 by the time this reviewsees print. Without question she is oneof the finest, most capable, and mostsensitive violinists on the concertstage today.But do note the title that goes withthe works heard on this disc—thesonatas in F, K. 376, in G, K. 301, in Eminor, K. 304, and in A, K. 526. Theyare sonatas “for piano and violin,” andthe accomplishment here is shared byNatalie Zhu, who has partnered Hahnin recital for exactly half of Hahn’s life,since the two were students at theCurtis Institute. In a prefatory note tothe recording that is as remarkable forthe quality of its thought as for theskill shown in the writing, Hahn pointsout that this sally into Mozart’s sonataswas not occasioned by the arrival thisyear of the 250th anniversary of thecomposer’s birth, but was the result ofher having “wanted to record thesesonatas for a long while, for various personalreasons.” What she doesn’t say,but is clear enough from what happenswhen the disc goes into the drawer, isthat, young as they are, she and Zhuhave known and played this music for along while, too.The trick with these pieces is to letthem speak for themselves, and theseaccounts do just that. They are lyrical,beautifully phrased, rhythmically alert,and in a word, articulate. Where a flamboyanttreatment of a run is called for,it’s there. But the temptation to getflashy is avoided, and Hahn repeatedlyand tastefully defers to Zhu when thepiano has the important thing to say.The two play as one. Mozart would haveasked for just that.The recording is deliciously close. Itputs you in the page-turner’s seat, closeenough to hear everything. The piano’sbass notes are extraordinarily firm (youfeel them in your chest) and its tone inthe middle and upper range soft andbell-like. Hahn’s violin sounds wonderfullyrich, but not oversized. Like oil,Mozart would have said.TLFURTHER LISTENING: Elgar: ViolinConcerto (Previn); Mozart: Sonatas(Grumiaux and Klien)SACDSibelius: The Symphonies. GothenburgSymphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi, conductor.Sid McLauchlan and LennartDehn, producers; Michael Bergek, engineer.Four hybrid multichannel SACDs.Deutsche Grammophon 289 477 5688.Music: ★★★ 1/2 Sonics: ★★★NeemeJärvirecorded theseven Sibeliussymphonies overtwenty years agofor BIS, with thissame orchestra,in early digital sound that even nowholds up surprisingly well. So why doit again, other than to exploit the notinconsequentialimprovements inaudio technology of the past twodecades? Because Järvi surely has a specialaffinity for this music. These performancesare very much of a piece, yetdemonstrate extremely well theprogress of the composer’s symphonicconception over the span of a quartercentury. The first two works, “nationalistic”in spirit, really belong to theRomantic era while the remaining fiveare manifestly “modern” and stylisticallyprogressive. Like Mahler’s, everyone of Sibelius’ symphonies creates adifferent world and Järvi captures theunique character of each.Not that the conductor’s ideas aboutthe music haven’t changed over time.The new recording of Symphony No.2—the composer’s best-known—is considerablymore expansive than the 1983version, and almost five minutes longer.Some of the craggy, Scandinavian grittinessis missing, as in the more turbulent134 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

m u s i c classicalsections of the second movement whichlack the electricity that others (includingJärvi previously) have brought to thematerial. But other performances arehard to beat. The dark, brooding, atmosphericrendition of the Fourth—again,longer than many; six minutes beyondAshkenazy’s, for instance—is enormouslyeffective, and the opening movementof the Fifth is brilliantly paced, with thetricky tempo transitions nicely negotiated.The crystalline textures of No. 6, thecomposer’s response to the natural worldoutside his home in the Finnish countryside,are beautifully rendered—bracing,like cold, clear mountain water.Järvi brings off the concise yet substantialSeventh as, to quote the notesaccompanying this set, a “profoundmeditation on sonic process.”The Gothenburg SymphonyOrchestra, an ensemble Sibelius himselfconducted many times, has improvedupon its already high level of accomplishment;it’s truly a world-class institution.The performances of Nos. 1 and2 derive from live concerts, thoughyou’d never know it. The recording wasa 48kHz 24-bit PCM encoding. Whilethe sound is non-fatiguing, with loadsof “air” and dynamic nuance, massedstring sound isn’t as convincing as highresolutiontechniques can deliver—thisdespite a top end that’s actually a littlesoft. Solo instruments are gorgeouslyportrayed, as with the lone clarinet thatbegins the First Symphony. The 5.0multichannel presents outstandingfront-to-back soundstaging: strings,then winds, then brass and percussionare right where they should be.ANDREW QUINTFURTHER LISTENING: Sibelius: CompleteSymphonies (Davis); Tubin: CompleteSymphonies (Järvi)MUSIC EDITOR BOB GENDRON’S SYSTEM BAT VK-300x integrated amplifier; Gallo Nucleus Reference3 loudspeakers;Rotel RSX-1065 receiver; Sony SCD-CE775 SACD player; Panasonic DVD-RP91 DVD-A player; ClearaudioChampion turntable; Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridge; Bright Star Audio IsoRock GR3 speaker supports;Synergistic Research, MIT, Monster Cable, and Audioquest cables and interconnects; SolidSteel 5.5 rackWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 137

m u s i c JAZZJazz CapsJim McAuley: Gongfarmer 18. ScottFraser, recording. Nine Winds 236.Music: ★★★★ Sonics: ★★★★For a musicianwhose name islikely to be recognizedby less thanone percent ofeven jazz cognoscenti,Jim Mc-Auley is capable of bringing pleasure tothe ears of a large number of guitar fans—at least those listeners who share the samepassion for the instrument’s expressive possibilitiesmanifest in the music of NelsCline, Fred Frith, John Fahey, DerekBailey, and, at times, Pat Metheny.McAuley has appeared on one previousCD, the hard-to-find Jim McAuley AcousticGuitar Trio (on Bailey’s Incus label), withfellow southern Californians Cline and RodPoole. What he lacks in public profile (and,one gathers, career ambition), McAuleymore than makes up for in fretboard savvy,digital dexterity, and musical imagination.On the cryptically titled Gongfarmer 18, heplays a variety of nylon- and steel-stringacoustic guitars—a Ramirez classical, aCollings six-string, a Guild12-string, and aprepared Marquette parlor. Under histouch, each responds the way canvas andpaint did to Jackson Pollack, yielding textures,colors, and patterns that reflect themysterious, frightening, and beautifullogic of a singularly creative mind.But one McAuley style or sound is notreadily identifiable in his pieces—bearingsuch evocative titles as “Dark Blooming,”“Stately Chords,” “Eyelids of Buddha,”“Kneebounce,” and “Before Thought”—the way the distinctive guitaristics ofFahey, Leo Kottke, or Alex DeGrassimight be. His eclecticism embraces everythingfrom Spanish classical music to20th century minimalism, blues and folk,Indonesian gamelan, and pure improvisation,while his technical prowess allowshim to seamlessly blend idioms.Robert GlasperThe recording puts the guitarsvividly at center stage, allowing the timbresof individual strings to ringthrough, capturing the dense texturesand lush overtones of the 12-string, andpermitting a sharp focus on McCauley’sdelicate melodies, layered (not overdubbed)arpeggios and harmonies, rubberybends, and sonic-shrapnel blasts.DERK RICHARDSONFURTHER LISTENING: Various Artists: 156Strings; Various Artists: ImaginationalAnthemRobert Glasper: Canvas. Eli Wolf, producer.Blue Note 77130. Music: ★★★ 1/2Sonics: ★★★Making a namein both jazzand hip-hop circles,pianist RobertGlasper hasworked witheveryone fromTerence Blanchard to Mos Def, RoyHargrove to Q-Tip. But on Canvas, hisnew piano-trio recording, he paints witha decidedly straight-ahead jazz palette.His pairing with bassist Vincente Archerand drummer Damion Reid, with guestappearances by tenor Mark Turner andvocalist Bilal, has drawn rave reviews andfavorable comparisons to Brad Mehldauand Jason Moran. Yet Glasper has awarmer, more lyrical touch and carefreebounce that sets him apart from his moreself-consciously heady counterparts.Here, he offers nine originals and acover of Herbie Hancock’s “Riot,” a nodto an artist who has exerted an obviousinfluence. On the title track, clocking inat nearly 10 minutes, Glasper shows hisability to interestingly build on simpleideas. Indeed, as the Houston native’sfollow-up to his 2004 debut Mood,Canvas reveals a sensitive bandleader,composer, and player (piano, FenderRhodes, kalimba) deeply grounded inthe melodicism of such 1960s greats asVince Guaraldi and early Bill Evans, butWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 141

m u s i c jazzalso displaying a touch of Art Tatum’sspeed and swing on the appropriatelytitled opener, “Rise and Shine.”There is often a reflective quality tothese tunes, especially the ethereal “Portraitof an Angel,” syncopated “Chant” (whichutilizes slight splashes of processed vocalizations),and flowing “I Remember.” Thelatter, which closes the album, is builtupon an uplifting chromatic progressionthat epitomizes everything Glasper’sartistry is about—an almost angelic lyricismconnected to the warmth of nineteenth-centuryImpressionist paintersrather than to the cold angular minimalismof many of his contemporaries. While hiscompositions can sometimes stray too closeto his influences, Glasper has remarkablepromise and is at this early juncture arefreshing new talent.Sonically, the acoustic piano is uncannilylifelike, the lower register tight andpunchy. The recording features a full auralspectrum, though the soundstage is crowdedon the propulsive numbers. GREG CAHILLFURTHER LISTENING: Robert Glasper:Mood; Geri Allen: EtudesAndrew Hill: Time Lines. Michael Cuscuna,producer; Dae Bennett & Brian Dozoretz,engineers. Blue Note 35170.Music: ★★★ 1/2 Sonics: ★★★ 1/2Andrew Hill is a deeply idiosyncraticpianist-composer whose angularitymakes Thelonious Monk smooth-sailingby comparison. He’s a sort of deKooning to Monk’s Mondrian or CecilTaylor’s Jackson Pollack, dabbing andslashing strange lines and colors that,after you gaze on them for a while, beginto make a still stranger sense, indisputablylogical and in their own waylovely. It’s been almost 40 years sinceHill recorded for Blue Note, turning outsome of the most vital jazz albums of theera. Since then, he’s taught on the WestCoast, made a spattering of records forsmall fly-by-nights, returned to theNew York area, and launched a connoisseur’scomeback on Palmetto. Now he’sback at Blue Note, and hat’s off to corporateboldness. Most big labels wouldAndrew Hillhave used Norah Jones’ profits to recruitmore Norah Joneses; Blue Note has donesome of that too, but it’s also kept thelikes of Jason Moran, Don Byron, andHill, nearly 70 and as singular as ever.Time Lines features a quintet, a smallerensemble than usual these days, andit’s a tauter, starker sound. Hill’s musicstruts forward in fragments that at firstseem almost random. As a pianist, hesometimes lays down extended melodies,sometimes taps a single note, sometimesplucks a chord or cluster; but listenclosely, a few times, and the pattern takesshape. Hill has a mathematical mindwhen it comes to harmony; in this sensehe’s much like Monk, and he learned abit from Hindemith, whom he met inhis youth. The album’s title refers toHill’s penchant for odd time-signatures,but this music also has a timeless feel: atonce spacey and rigid, free-form yetsternly geometric. It’s not purely cerebral;Hill coaxes a heady passion fromthose bars, but immersion requires somefocus. It’s music at a simmer, not a boil.Only rarely, more rarely than usual—inthe opener, “Malachi,” and a stirring ballad,“For Emilio”—does he stoke theflames in a sustained way.My biggest problem with thisalbum is some of the band members.Greg Tardy, who’s played in Hill’s largerensembles, is a fine saxophonist and clarinetist,with a gorgeous tone and a keenrhythmic sense. But this music seems astretch, especially in such an exposed asetting. In too many solos, he gets stuck,repeating phrases when he should beshooting for the stars. It would be interestingto hear what Greg Osby or MartyEhrlich, two other Hill reedmen, woulddo with this material.Otherwise, this is invigorating stuff, andthe engineers are fairly up to the task. Thebass is a bit ripe and the drums a bit compressed,but the horns sound 3-D. Hill’spiano is particularly lush; you hear—practicallysee—the frame, the hammers, thedynamics, and the overtones. FRED KAPLANFURTHER LISTENING: Andrew Hill: PassingShips; Greg Osby: Invisible HandGreg Osby: Channel Three. Osby, producer.Blue Note 60671. Music: ★★★★Sonics: ★★★★St. Louis-bornalto and sopranosaxophonistGreg Osby burstupon the jazzscene in the 1980sas a member of thevibrant M-Base Collective that spawnedGeri Allen, Steve Coleman, CassandraWilson, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, GaryThomas, and others. A bandleader since1987, the talented Osby has staked outhis own territory among the hungry jazzlions, becoming known for fearless experimentalprojects that incorporate hip-hop,funk, and even a string quartet. Criticshaven’t always been kind toward theseeclectic offerings.Osby’s 17th album is a straightforward,primarily acoustic affair. ChannelThree bears such TV-themed song titles as“Vertical Hold” and “Test Pattern.” It142 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

m u s i c jazzfinds the 45-year-old reedman in a lean,mean, pianoless trio along with bassistMatt Brewer and longtime collaboratorJeff “Tain” Watts on drums. These oftenrestless, sometimes groove-laden arrangementsare sparse, stripped of all instrumentalexcess and frivolous excursions;this is blues-tinged jazz distilled to itsessential ingredients and played with confidenceby a maturing jazzman who neverhas to rely on flash to get his point across.Whether skipping across the top of aroiling rhythm track (“ViewerDiscretion”) or traversing plaintive passagesas filled with empty space as theyare with sound (“Diode Emissions”),Osby transports the listener throughvividly imaginative soundscapes. On thetitle track, with its fretless electric bass,edgy soprano, and moody vocalizations,Osby is at times reminiscent of WeatherReport-era Wayne Shorter, all assuredtone and flitting musical patterns thatburn with blue-hot intensity.The soundstage is wide and deep,with good separation and clarity. Osby’ssaxophones jog from the center whileWatt’s drum kit spans the sonic spectrum,his brassy ride cymbal clanging from theleft channel and his high hat clatteringfrom the right. The acoustic bass is fulland punchy, but be prepared for sub-soniclevels on the electrified title track. GCFURTHER LISTENING: Greg Osby: Art Forum;Steve Coleman: On the Rising of the 64 PathsSteve Lehman: Demian as Posthuman.Lehman and Scott Harding, producers. PiRecordings 17. Music: ★★★★Sonics: ★★★★ 1/2Only in hismid-20s, saxophonistSteveLehman alreadyblows at the forefrontof a newgeneration of jazzinnovators coming up behind MartyEhrlich and Dave Douglas. The nativeNew Yorker’s 2003 recording withbassist Mark Dresser and drummerPheeroan akLaff (Camouflage Trio), and hisdenser date with vibraphonist ChrisDingman, saxophonist Mark Shim,bassist Drew Gress, and drummer EricMcPherson were real-time interactionsthat reflected his tutelage underAnthony Braxton, Jackie McLean,Oliver Lake, and Michele Rosewoman.Here, for a brief 36 minutes, he shiftshis experimental intentions into therealm of sequencing and programming.Three tracks—the opening“Vapors,” the mid-CD “Logic—Meshell,” and the concluding“Community”—feature funky bandlikeconfigurations that include VjayIyer on piano, Jahi Lake on turntableand electronics, Meshell Ndegeocelloon electric bass, and Eric McPhersonon drums. But for the remaining nine,Demian as Posthuman is essentially asolo affair for the alto saxophonist(doubling on sopranino), with drummerTyshawn Sorey underscoring andaccenting his experiments.Three pieces—“Damage Mobility,”“Cognition,” and “Logic”—are presentedthird horizontal1/3AVGUIDETAS 158P159in multiple guises, emphasizing the differingpoints of view that Lehman brings toeach version, the connective tissue suppliedby the full-bodied but tartly tinged soundof his alto, with timbres occasionally echoingthose of Braxton and Henry Threadgill.Sometimes Lehman’s angular leaping hornis heard solo, sometimes in harmonizedmultitracks, sometimes against other “real”instruments, and sometimes in reliefagainst beds of synthetic sound.The sonics, at least partly thedomain of mixer Scott Harding (akaScotty Hard), emphasize this last, artificialquality, so while there’s a ripe, sensualtone to the reeds, there’s also a waxy luster—andslight emotional distancing—tothe overall sound. Spaciousness and precisionare not sacrificed, and the electroniceffects have a pulsating Eno-like plasticity,while the subtle aural fog that permeatesthe soundstage has a pleasing, ratherthan off-putting, effect.DRFURTHER LISTENING: Fieldwork:Simulated Progress; Matthew Shipp: Nu BopWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 143

m u s i c POPULARRock, Etc.Neil Diamond: 12 Songs. Rick Rubin,producer. Columbia 94776. Music: ★★★Sonics: ★★★ 1/2By his ownadmission,the original“Solitary Man”hadn’t playedguitar on analbum in nearlya generation. At 64 and a grandfather,Neil Diamond rode out the emotionalpeaks and valleys of Top 40 radiodecades ago. Though he continued tosell out arenas with his glitzy schtickand loyal, Geritol crowd clamoring forhits like “Cherry, Cherry” and “SongSung Blue,” no new recordings were inthe offing. Diamond was restless.Enter hip-hop/rock producer RickRubin and the beginning of a lengthycourtship. Rubin’s track record wasalready the stuff of legend. Not only hadhe produced the Beastie Boys, Red HotChili Peppers, and Jay-Z, but in one ofhistory’s unlikeliest collaborations,Rubin’s recordings with country iconJohnny Cash became spun gold, touchinglisteners with a haunting poignancyilluminated by Cash’s failing health. If,as has been reported, Diamond didn’timmediately take to the idea of cuttingan acoustic album of original materialand playing guitar, he wasn’t the firstartist to underestimate the powers ofpersuasion lurking behind the mask ofRubin’s Zen-like serenity.The result of the Diamond-Rubincollaboration is 12 Songs, an intimate collectionof the wistful, the bittersweet, andthe nostalgic—all underscored byDiamond’s Brill Building soul, melodicvibrancy, and optimism. Does artisticlightning strike twice? Yes and no. Onthe one hand Diamond’s voice remainsone of the great pop instruments of thelast 30 years, a baritone with weight, grit,and surprising tenderness. The songs areNeil Diamondinstantly and recognizably his. The theatrical“Hell Yeah” is Diamond as triumphantsurvivor in full Sinatra-esque“My Way” mode. The talk-sung “I’m OnTo You” conjures up the sly seductivenessof Leonard Cohen, while “Save Me ASaturday Night” is a charming slowdance. And the retro-romping “DeliriousLove” is reminiscent of the pop-revivalistfervor that kept stadiums swaying duringDiamond’s Beautiful Noise period.But the second half of the albumgrows maudlin, losing the quiet insightand personalized focus that the first halfestablished. On 12 Songs, Diamonddoesn’t fully shed his showmaninstincts. It’s a brave but controlledeffort by a man who only sporadicallyseems fully at ease.Accompanied by gold-standard sidemenlike Mike Campbell and BenmontTench (both of Tom Petty and theHeartbreakers fame), keyboardist BillyPreston, and percussionistLenny Castro, the spare guitar-and keyboard-orientedarrangements are tastefullyaccented with an occasionalfiligree of horns and strings.Diamond’s vocals are well forward,where every nuancecan be appreciated. And aswith most Rubin recordings,there’s a very goodsense of dimensionality anddynamics. NEIL GADERFURTHER LISTENING: BobDylan: As Good As I’ve BeenTo You; Barbra Streisand:MemoriesLewis Taylor: Stoned. DavidGorman, Michael Nieves, etal., producers. HackTone/Shout Factory 37422. Music:★★★ 1/2 Sonics: ★★★ 1/2Unlikemostsoul albums,Stoned doesn’topen with butteryhorns orcome-hitherstring sections.Instead, the album kicks off with therobotic buzz/hum of lab equipment,sounding more Isaac Asimov than IsaacHayes. That’s not to say the albumsounds clinical, because it’s anythingbut. Lewis Taylor has merely added hisown twist to a genre that has long beenin need of fresh ideas.Already something of a cult figurein the U.K., Taylor released his debutalbum in 1996 and counts Elton John,David Bowie, and D’Angelo among hisfans. Now, nearly a decade later, Taylormakes his stateside debut with Stoned—a re-sequenced version of his 2002release, Stoned Pt. 1.Taylor, a pasty Brit whose complex-144 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

m u s i c popularion belies his soulful voice, spins elementsof psychedelia, rock, and R&Binto a shimmering hybrid. UnlikeJamiroquai, who treads some of the sameterritory, Taylor never falls back on theeasy hook. The tunes are so nuanced andeffortless that the level of craftsmanshipisn’t readily visible. A song like“Lovelight” builds to such an instantlyhummable chorus that the layered track,which piles on acoustic guitar, keyboards,drum machines, bass, and “oohing”and “ahh-ing” backup singers,sounds practically Spartan.The album’s stellar production aidsthis feel. The recording ensures thatinstruments pop from the mix (check theguitar line that kicks off “Shame,” streaminglike molten metal). Vocals are handledespecially well, Taylor’s smooth singingevoking soul luminaries like StevieWonder, Don Isley, and Marvin Gaye.Only on “Back Together,” a pedestrianattempt to score make-up sex, doesTaylor veer into predictability. Better isthe carnal come-on of “Lovin U More,”where he struts with Shaft-like confidenceas the tune builds into a funkyhouse party that would put Kid N Playto shame. And anyone who can write atrack as beautiful as “Lewis IV” deservesto be heard in the States. The onlyshame is that it’s taken this long.ANDY DOWNINGFURTHER LISTENING: Donny Hathaway:Everything Is Everything; Jamiroquai:Traveling Without MovingEither/Orchestra: Live in Addis:Éthiopiques 20. Francis Falceto and RussGershon, producers. Buda Musique860121 (two CDs). Music: ★★★★Sonics: ★★★To Brazilians,Cubans, andIndonesians, popsounds emanatingfrom theUnited Statescould rightly beconsidered “world” music. So there’s anespecially sweet irony to the fact that the20th installment of one of the all-timegreatest “world music” series features ajazz ensemble from Cambridge,Massachusetts.Since its inception in 1998, theÉthiopiques franchise has been a consistentsource of musical revelation. Seriesproducer Francis Falceto actually beganreissuing vintage ’60s and ’70s soul- andfunk-infused pop from the East Africannation in 1994, and that’s whenEither/Orchestra leader, saxophonist,and arranger Russ Gershon first felt itinfiltrate his consciousness. After introducingEthiopian songs into its repertoire,Either/Orchestra garnered an invitationto the 2004 Ethiopian MusicFestival in Addis Ababa. Already energeticallyon a par with such dynamicjazz units as the Mingus Big Band, theten-piece orchestra alternately roars andwafts through a dozen tunes familiar tothe appreciative audience.E/O members—including Gershonon tenor and soprano, alto saxist JeremyUdden, baritone saxophonist Henrythird horizontal2/3AVGUIDETAS 158P161Cook, trumpeters Colin Fisher and TomHalter, and trombonist Joel Yennior—dominate the instrumental solos in finestyle, but, with a rhythm section bolsteredby guest percussionist MulatuAstatqé, the emphasis is on collectivemomentum and drive. As if authenticitywere a question when we’re dealingwith music whose transatlantic crossbreedingis long-lived and ongoing,singers Bahta Gèbrè-Heywèt, TsèdèniaGèbrè-Marqos, and Michael Bèlaynèhadd eloquence and ebullience. And onthe second disc’s final two tracks, tenorsaxophonist Gétatchèw Mèkurya (featuredon Négus of Ethiopan Sax:Ethiopiques 14) tears up the proceedingswith raw tones.The production catches the liveexcitement and places the instrumentsin a realistic, almost three-dimensionalaural space. But the impression of“being there” also includes sonic imbalances—pianoand percussion at a distancefrom the clear frontline horns, andWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 145

m u s i c popular2005’s Best Rock, Jazz, and Classical AlbumsRock—Bob GendronJazz—Derk RichardsonClassical—Andrew Quint1The National: Alligator.Beggars Banquet (TAS 154)Vijay Iyer: Reimagining. SavoyJazz (TAS 156)Wagner: Tristan und Isolde.Domingo. EMI (TAS 158)2Tom Brosseau: What I Meanto Say Is Goodbye. Loveless(TAS 156)William Parker Quartet: SoundUnity. Aum FidelityMendelssohn:Quartets/Octet. Emerson. DG(TAS 153)34Common: Be. Geffen(TAS 155)Edith Frost: It’s A Game.Drag City (TAS 159)Dave Douglas & Nomad: MountainPassages. Koch (TAS 153)Marty Ehrlich: News on theTrail. Palmetto (TAS 158)Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto.Bell. Sony/BMG (TAS 157)Albéniz: Iberia. Hamelin.Hyperion (TAS 156)5The Hold Steady: SeparationSunday. French KissDerek Bailey: Carpal Tunnel.Tzadik (TAS 158)Mahler: Symphony No. 9. TilsonThomas. SFS Media6LCD Soundsystem: LCDSoundsystem. DFA/Astralwerks(TAS 153)Scott Amendola Band:Believe. Cryptogramophone(TAS 159)Bach: Partitas and Sonatas.Fischer. PentaTone(TAS 159)78Kanye West: Late Registration.Rock-a-FellaSleater-Kinney: The Woods.Sub PopJane Ira Bloom: Like Silver, LikeSong. Artists ShareThe Vandermark 5: The Colorof Memory. AtavisticBartók: Concerto for Orchestra.Eschenbach. OndineScottish Fantasies. Pine.Cedille (TAS 156)910High on Fire: Blessed BlackWings. Relapse (TAS 154)The White Stripes: Get BehindMe Satan. Third Man/V2(TAS 155)Charlie Haden LiberationMusic Orchestra: Not in OurName. VerveCarla Bley: The Lost Chords.WattRósza: Choral Suites. Kunzel.Telarc (TAS 154)Weill: Symphonies 1 & 2.Alsop. Naxos (TAS 158)146 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

m u s i c popularbass lines loping with ripe presence butless-than-exact definition—none ofwhich, however, radically detracts fromthe scintillating rave-ups.DERK RICHARDSONFURTHER LISTENING: Either/Orchestra:More Beautiful Than Death; MahmoudAkhmed: Ere Mela Mela: Ethiopiques 7The Living Blue: Fire, Blood, Water. AdamSchmitt and the Living Blue, producers.Minty Fresh 63. Music: ★★★★Sonics: ★★★WiththeStrokesreadying a comebackafter Roomon Fire barelycaused a sparkand the WhiteStripes skimping on guitars in favor ofbone-rattling marimbas and Elton Johnworthypiano ballads, it appears as if theback-to-basics rock revival may be waning.The Living Blue, a quartet ofChampaign, Illinois twentysomethings,pay no mind to these current trends,attacking Fire, Blood, Water with thebrute force of a Jerome Bettis touchdownstampede.Referencing everyone from theReplacements to Led Zeppelin to theModern Lovers, The Living Blue avoidssounding like a rock retread by crankingthe guitars and delivering an endlessstream of irresistible hooks. StephenUcherek sings with an obvious sneer, hislyrics touching on lying girls/governments(“Tell Me Leza”), the danger ofcomplacency (“One Beat”), and, quitepossibly, his failures as a gardener(“Greenthumb”). Ucherek is ablybacked by a swinging rhythm sectionand the revelatory playing of guitaristJoe Prokop, who can make his six-stringroar like a jungle cat and still dial itback to play a chunky blues riff whenneeded—vide, the take-no-prisonersstomp of “Conquistador.”This comfort level with one another,developing since the group formed in thelate ’90s, reveals itself as the band plowsthrough the staccato pluck of “SerratedEither/OrchestraFriend” and gnarled overgrowth of“Secrets.” Even when Ucherek attemptsto rein it in, as he does briefly on “SheBleeds Pink,” the propulsive drum beatand stabs of guitar prod him to pick upthe pace. The production is more thancompetent, though the drums could havebeen recorded with more punch. Guitarsrightfully dominate the mix, cuttingthrough tracks like buzz saws and givingthe tunes a necessary swagger.third horizontal3/3AVGUIDETAS 158P163With Fire, Blood, Water, The LivingBlue has delivered its rock ’n’ roll manifesto—athrowback to a time when guitarswere for shredding and ballads wereleft to Broadway shows. It’s an impressivemix of musical chops, intensity, andsongs that bodes well for the band’slong-term prospects.ADFURTHER LISTENING: The Replacements:Pleased To Meet Me; Idlewild: 100 BrokenWindowsWWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 147

m u s i c POPULARGot Live If You Want It: New Live ReleasesBob GendronGreen Day: Bullet In A Bible. Rob Cavallo and Green Day, producers.Reprise 49466 (one CD, one DVD). Music: ★★★Sonics: ★★ 1/2Green Day raised the bar for rockoperas with 2004’s American Idiot,distilling youthful alienation, frustration,disenchantment, and heartbreak—and how the emotions intertwine withpolitics, economics, and expectations—into a pertinent 13-song cycle that’s asimmediately catchy as it is conceptually diverse. Bullet In ABible is the trio’s victory lap, a souvenir of the pop-punk act’sbrisk show and arena acumen. Singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s frequentcall-and-response banter with the crowd and the group’sslickness deter from the otherwise sharp songwriting, neck-bobbingarrangements, and whirlwind pace, though the five-part“Jesus of Suburbia” suite, sizzling “Holiday,” and rubber-ribbed“St. Jimmy” feverishly pounce and act as set-up devices for theclosing kiss-off ballad “Good Riddance.” Sonics are TurtleWaxed for home-theater enjoyment. Audience screams artificiallyebb and flow, resulting in a multimedia set that could’vebeen great but settles for being a cut above average.Patti Smith: Horses/Horses (Legacy Edition). John Cale, originalproducer; Bruce Dickinson, reissue producer.Arista/Columbia/Legacy 71198 (two CDs). Music: ★★★★★Sonics: ★★★ 1/2Originally released the same year asBruce Springsteen’s Born to Run,Patti Smith’s Horses/Horses is every bit asseminal. While the former may havesaved rock ’n’ roll, Smith’s incendiarydebut kicked it in the ass, overthrowingtraditional cultural definitions of identity,speech, and expression. Defiantly announcing her arrival viaone of the most attention-grabbing introductory lines eversneered, punk’s godmother turned upside-down the insides ofthe garage-rock standard “Gloria,” shook out the sexual and religiouschaos, and stood the song back up as a swaggering symbolfor rock’s secret handshake with beat poetry, symbolism, feminism,and social change. Smith needs just eight tracks to transformAmerica’s consciousness and shock its system, whether bydreaming about stolen dollar bills on the surging “Free Money,”moving with elegiac tides on the reggae-tinged “RedondoBeach,” or smashing heads against a locker on the epic “Land,”a fever dream complete with a nerve-rattling rape scene thatleads into a sea of possibilities—a theme Smith persistentlyrevisits.Updated and remastered, the 30th anniversary editionincludes a second disc documenting Smith’s performance ofthe entire Horses/Horses in England on June 25, 2005. Alongwith original guitarist Lenny Kaye and drummer Jay DeeDaugherty, Smith pairs with former Television six-stringmaven Tom Verlaine and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea,giving a reading that does justice to the life-altering work’sskin-burning passion and adrenaline-rush escapism. Smith’sbiting vocals are darker, her lyrical phrasing and vowel-bendingtechniques more hypnotic, and she rails against rampantconsumerism and technological gluttony without missing abeat. The band is up to task, Flea’s funky curlicue bendspunctuating Kaye’s hard-driving rhythmic sentences. Theaffair concludes with a bloodletting cover of “MyGeneration,” Smith exhaling three decades worth of angst,anger, aggression, and antipathy in six minutes, her fist-shakingshouts raising Cain with not just toxic politicians but herown contemporaries. “My generation, my generation/We haddreams, we had dreams man, and we [expletive] createdGeorge Bush,” she cries. “New generations rise up! Riseup!/Take the streets/Make change/The world is yours/Changeit! Change it!” You go, girl.Grateful Dead: Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings.David Lemieux and Jeffrey Norman, producers. Grateful Dead 291(10 CDs). Music: ★★★★★ Sonics: ★★★★In late February and early March 1969,the Grateful Dead performed four consecutiveshows at Fillmore West, a stintthat has since become one of the mostrenowned stands in history. Some of theresults were released on Live/Dead, aunanimously praised live album thatgave the public its first inkling of the interstellar communicationand electrifying mind-frying sequences the Dead were148 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

m u s i c popularthen executing in concert. Deadheads have long coveted tapesfrom the run, considered the beginning of the group’s peak period,a time when psychedelic excursions simultaneously floweredbeside and flowed along with jug-band grooves, lightning-strikeguitar fills, folk thunder, wailing feedback, and jazz fusion. Mostsignificantly, the stand cemented the permanence of two of theDead’s enduring trademarks—the launching-pad dimensionalexperimentalism afforded by the elliptical tone poem “Dark Star”and the invocation of desolate blues, the latter irrepressiblymoaned with carnal desire and gritty mischievousness by Ron“Pigpen” McKernan, an organist/pianist/harmonicat whosethroaty wails, spicy come-ons, and devilish coos made the Deadperhaps the finest white blues band to ever grace a stage.The evidence is laid out on Fillmore West 1969: The CompleteRecordings, which, as the title implies, contains every note theseptet produced some 36-plus years ago. On the same artisticplane as Miles Davis’ The Complete Plugged Nickel Sessions and TheStooges’ Complete Fun House Sessions sets, the box solidifiesMcKernan’s position as an unsurpassed belter and TomConstanten’s role as an incomparable foil who decorated JerryGarcia’s spider-web designs and Phil Lesh’s steamrolling basslines with subtly ornate, push-pull keyboard clusters. Therollercoaster momentum and feather-ruffling dialogue demonstratedon the multiple renditions of “Turn on Your Lovelight,”along with the telepathic synthesis and risk-taking progressiveleaps of the “Dark Star,” “The Eleven,” and “St. Stephen”sequences, trace back to a beaker mixture of unsullied confidence,ghostly spirituality, and train-jumping-the-tracks abandonthat takes the mainly great with the purely bad (“HeyJude”), the Dead aurally creating the LSD illusions, pinwheelcolors, and join-the-circus adventure racing in their heads.Limited to 10,000 numbered copies and already sold-out,the box is commanding upwards of $300, though the curious cansettle for Rhino’s finely packaged, abridged Fillmore West 1969triple-disc edition. In addition to being presented in HDCD, therelease holds another audiophile draw—the tapes’ claim to fameas the first-ever live 16-track masters. While a few artifacts arediscernible, the sound is such that one feels transported back intime, the vibes evoking a lost, long-desired-for hallucination.The Mars Volta: Scabdates. Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez, producer.GSL/Universal 0249886788. Music: ★★ 1/2 Sonics: ★★Recorded between 2003 and 2005, butincluding nothing from the group’srecent Frances the Mute album (review, TAS154), The Mars Volta’s Scabdates is thekind of live album that offers royal payoffsat the cost of having to wade through amorass of overgrown weeds. Those whohaven’t experienced the Volta’s orgy of sound and light in personmay be struck by just how bizarre and self-indulgent this multiheadedbeast can get. But for every random scream, meanderingpassage, and out-of-order freak-out there is a nutzoid puzzle such as“Cicatriz” that the ensemble pieces together with improvisationalwit and virtuosic technicality, the beat skittishly moving no matterwhat the pace dictates. At 74 minutes, the record is messy and perplexing,and probably too much hard-rock-cum-Latin-rock-cumsqualling-fusion-cum-prog-dust-cum-electronica-cum-fracturedbluesmaelstrom for the average listener to handle. But seldom hasanything so exhilarating come from opting for the easy road, andwhile the Volta’s pathway can be excruciatingly long, the ride isunforgettably scenic. Caveat emptor: The production isn’t horridbut is uneven, no shock given the degree of instrumentation, addedonfield recordings, and shrieking noises hanging in the balance.Iron Maiden: Death on the Road. Kevin Shirley, producer.Sanctuary 96429 (two CDs). Music: ★★★ 1/2 Sonics: ★★ 1/2The most underreported music storyof 2005 happened during the 10thannual Ozzfest tour, on which IronMaiden was dangled as bait to get concertgoersinto the sheds. As Judas Priestdid a year earlier, Maiden played secondfiddle only to headliner Ozzy Osbourne150 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

m u s i c popularand emerged with a storied comeback, attracting older andnew generations eager to hear the once-parodied but nowvauntedBritish group cited by countless contemporaries as avital influence.But unlike 2004, when the Prince of Darkness managedto counter Priest’s potency by fronting a reinvigorated BlackSabbath, health problems got in the way of Osbourne’sanniversary plans. He begged off a handful of shows, andasked Maiden to close the festivities with extended sets.When Sabbath did perform, the magic was clearly gone.Maiden was lapping its fellow Brits on a nightly basis andbeing guided by silver-tongued vocalist Bruce Dickinson,who also happened to insult the Osbournes for partaking inthe false world of reality television.These developments did not sit well with Ozzfest headmasterSharon Osbourne, who exacted revenge by sabotagingMaiden’s final gig, cutting its P.A. system and peltingband members with eggs in front of 45,000 fans. Mrs.Osbourne’s prank subsequently caused further damage toher husband’s declining reputation, and did nothing butbolster what many already knew—Maiden reigned supremeand was the main reason why the summer concert stapleremained appealing.Death on the Road was recorded live in Germany onNovember 24, 2003, well before Maiden’s participation inOzzfest. The two-disc set doesn’t quite have charging attackof the band’s most recent jaunt, but approximates the sextet’srevived vigor. The English group has been on the up sinceDickinson came back onboard in 1999, a reunion that’s so faryielded two solid studio albums from which complexlyorchestrated epics (“Dance of Death”) and hoof-poundingmarches (“No More Lies”) here integrate with classics such asthe nerve-rippling “Fear of the Dark” and musket-jabbing“The Trooper.” All of the group’s hallmarks—fluid arpeggios,soaring melodies, fantasy-adventure theatricality, gallopingtempos, slashing solos—bow their heads, as doswelling “whoa-oa-oa” crowd chants, which are blended intoa slightly muddled, bowl-echo production that heralds if notthe triumphant return then at least the fiery persistence ofthe NWOBHM pioneers.&WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 151

C L A S S I F I E D SF O R S A L Eusedcable.comWe buy used cables. We sell used cables. Good advice.WWW.AUDIOCONNECT.COMNew Jersey’s Best Selection at:Audio Connection615 Bloomfield AveVerona, NJ 07044(973) 239.1799*Just Bring In Your MusicW A N T E DHi Fi Stereo Gear, old/new, amps, preamps, turntables,speakers, tuners, tubes, parts. Quality Brands considered,working or not. 850 314 0321, Cell 850 543 7025, sonnysound@aol.comC L A S S I F I E D A D O R D E R F O R Mrates: Our new rates are as follows: Private Parties, $1.50 per word (no minimum); Commercial, $4.15 per word, $175 minimum.A word is one or more characters with a space, dash, slash or other punctuation on either side. (Telephone numbers, e-mail addressesand Web addresses count as one word.) Advertisements will run in the magazine and also on our website, www.theabsolutesound.com.payment: All ads must be prepaid with order. Credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express) and checks are accepted.send ads to: Absolute Multimedia Inc., 4544 S. Lamar, Bldg G300, Austin, Texas 78745. Fax to 512-891-0375.(Faxed ads are credit card only.) Or place ads via our website: www.AVguide.comdeadlines: Ads are due three months prior to the issue's cover date. (For example, ads for the March 2006 issue are due with paymentby December 21, 2006.) Ads that reach us after the due date will appear in the next available issue.namecompanyaddresscity, state, zipphone ___________________________________________________ faxcopy (please type or print; attach separate sheet if necessary)Please run my ad in the following issues: ❑ 160 (March 2006) ❑ 161 (April/May 2006) ❑ 162 (June/July 2006)cost: $ ________________(Count the words in your ad. Multiply by the number of issues, then by the rate – personal or commercial.)❑ Enclosed is my check, payable to Absolute Multimedia Inc. ❑ I prefer to pay by credit cardcard number: ____________________________________________________________ expiration date ________________________signature (credit card users)WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 157

Where To BuyThe Absolute Sound is available throughout North America at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Tower RecordsARIZONAVirgin MegastoreTempeArizona Hi-FiTempeCALIFORNIAEvolution Audio Video Agoura HillsAudio ChamberBerkeleyDB AudioBerkeleyAudio HavenBreaVirgin MegastoreBurbankFuture SoundBurlingameDeetes Sound RoomCarmichaelAudio BasicsClaremontVirgin MegastoreCosta MesaMusic by DesignCupertinoSound Factor WestEncinoVirgin MegastoreLos AngelesAmbrosia AudioLos AngelesBrooks Berdan LtdMonroviaPro Homes SystemsOaklandVirgin MegastoreOntarioGNP StereoPasadenaDimple RecordsRosevilleParadyme Inc.SacramentoStereo Design IncSan DiegoStereo UnlimitedSan DiegoVirgin MegastoreSan FranciscoUltimate SoundSan FranciscoBay Area AudioSan JoseAudio EcstasySan Luis ObispoMission AudioSanta BarbaraShelleys StereoSanta MonicaAudio Video TodayWestminsterLaser D Entertainment Yorba LindaCOLORADOAnalogue AudioBoulderMoondance Sound & Cinema DenverNorthstar Leading The Way DurangoCONNECTICUTCarston Stereo VideoDanburyTake 5 AudioNew HavenRoberts Audio and Video New LondonSubjective AudioCantonDISTRICT OF COLUMBIAOlsson'sGeorgetownFLORIDASound ComponentsCoral GablesHouse of StereoJacksonvilleVirgin Megastore Lake Buena VistaGood Sounds Inc.MargateAudio ArtisanMiamiParlatek SAMiamiAdvanced Hi-Fi 95MiamiGEORGIAAudio AtlantaMariettaStereo ShopMartinezHome Run VideoSavannahHAWAIIAudio DirectionHonoluluILLINOISVan L SpeakerworksChicagoSuperior Audio SystemsChicagoCrow’s NestCrest HillINDIANATracksBloomingtonSound ProCarmelAudio SolutionsIndianapolisKANSASHollywood At Home Inc. Overland ParkLOUISIANAWilson AudioNew OrleansMAINEA L AudioSacoMARYLANDSoundscapeBaltimoreSilver Screen & SoundTowsonMASSACHUSETTSAudio StudioBrooklineLooney TunesBostonNewbury ComicsCambridgeNatural SoundFraminghamSound IIN. DartmouthMICHIGANAcutronicsAnn ArborImageryFerndaleStereo ShowcaseGrand RapidsAudio DimensionsRoyal OakMISSISSIPPIUncle Bucks RecordsOxfordMISSOURIFlips Stereo PlaceSt. LouisNEW HAMPSHIRECamera Shop of Hanover HanoverNEW JERSEYStereo DynamicsMiddletonPrinceton Record Exchange PrincetonAudio ConnectionVeronaWoodbridge StereoW. CaldwellWoodbridge StereoWoodbridgeNEW MEXICOHudson Audio Center AlbuquerqueCandymanSanta FeNEW YORKAltair AudioAlbanyDown to Earth Natural FDS AmsterdamJ S G Audio VideoBinghamtonT.D. ElectronicsCambiaUltra Hi FiFlushingLongplayer Stereo CenterGoshenAudio ExcellenceLiverpoolAmerican AudiophileLynbrookStereo ExchangeNew YorkAarlington Audio VideoNew YorkVirgin MegastoreNew YorkLyric Hi-FiNew YorkSound By SingerNew YorkNew Platz AudioNew PlatzSound MillMt KiscoBurello SoundPeekskillRowe AudioRochesterThe Sound ConceptRochesterLe Sounde Audio & Video Saratoga SpringsMom’s Stereo (PRK Inc.) SchenectadyAudio Classics Ltd.VestalAnalog ShopVictorFor Your EntertainmentVictorAudio VisionsWest BabylonToys From The AtticWhite PlainsNEVADAVirgin MegastoreLas VegasNORTH CAROLINAAdvanced AudioCaryAudio AdviceRaleighOHIONew Image ElectronicsBrooklynProgressive AudioColumbusPlay It Again SamLakewoodOREGONClassical MilleniumPENNSYLVANIASound and Vision II, IncDavid Lewis AudioThird Street Jazz & RockAudio GalleryAudio OptionsStereo ShoppeAudio Images StereoSoundexTENNESSEEUnderground SoundTEXASABCD STower RecordsKrystal Clear AudioVirgin MegastoreUTAHAudio DesignVIRGINIAAlpine AudioGifted Listener AudioSound ImagesHightech Services ExchangeDeja Vu Audio, LtdPlanet MusicWASHINGTONQuicksilver AudioCafé RivistaWEST VIRGINIAAbsolute Sound WVFull Moon RisingWISCONSINHi-Fi HeavenUniversity Audio ShopINTERNATIONAL LOCATIONSPortlandBethlehemPhiladelphiaPhiladelphiaPittsburghPittsburghSelinsgroveWhitehallWillow GroveMemphisAustinAustinDallasGrapevineSalt Lake CityAbingdonCentervilleFalls ChurchFalls ChurchMcLeanVirginia BeachKennewickSilverdaleCharlestonMarlingtonGreen BayMadisonCANADAPrimetimeTorontoVirgin MegastoreVancouverAUSTRALIACaxton AudioQueenslandCROATIAMedia AudioSplitGERMANYAudio InternationalFrankfurtEclectic Audio Geisenheim-StephanhausenHONG KONGYK AudioHong KongFook Yue AsiaHong KongISRAELAL AudioHerzliya PituachPHILIPPINESUpscale AudioQuezon CityPUERTO RICOParlatekPuerto RicoSPAINAudio CriselMadridSWITZERLANDPortier Hi-FiGenevaTURKEYLotus ElectonicsIstanbulUNITED KINGDOMMoth GroupBedford158 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006

Index to AdvertisersAcoustic Science Corporation (ASC) ............152www.asc-hifi.comAcoustic Sounds ................................114, 115www.acousticsounds.comAcoustics First Corp ....................................139www.acousticsfirst.comArchive Audio..............................................153www.archiveaudio.bizArt Audio ......................................................74www.artaudio.comAtma-Sphere Music Systems ........................88www.atma-sphere.comAudio by Van Alstine......................................87www.avahifi.comAudio Classics ............................................146www.audioclassics.comAudio Connection ........................................151www.audioconnect.comAudio Consultants ......................................154www.audioconsultants.comAudio Limits ..............................................152www.audiolimits.comAudio Plus Services ..............................Cover IIIwww.audioplusservices.comAudio Revelation ........................................134www.audiorevelation.comAudio Turntable Ltd. ....................................153www.audioturntable.comAudio Unlimited ..........................................125www.audiounlimiteddenver.comAudioQuest ..........................................Cover IVwww.audioquest.comAVguide Monthly..................143, 145, 147, 149www.avguide.comAydn ..........................................................109www.aydn.comAyre Acoustics ..............................................67www.ayre.comB&W Loudspeakers ......................................19www.bwspeakers.comBalanced Audio Technology..........................6, 7www.balanced.comBilly Bags ..................................................139www.billybags.comCable Company ..........................................121www.fatwyre.comCable Pro ..................................................155www.thecablepro.comCardas Audio, Ltd. ..........................................9www.cardas.comClasse Audio ................................................25www.classeaudio.comCoincident Speaker Technology ....................155www.coincidentspeaker.comConrad Johnson ............................................31www.conradjohnson.comCrystal Cables ..............................................93www.crystalcable-usa.comDali Loudspeakers ........................................59www.dali-usa.comDefinitive Technology..................Cover II, page 1www.definitivetech.comEdge Electronics ..........................................65www.edgeamp.comElite AV Distribution ....................................152www.eliteavdist.comElusive Disc................................................127www.elusivedisc.comEnjoy the Music ..................................154, 157www.enjoythemusic.comGallo Acoustics ............................................29www.agaspeaker.comGershman Acoustics ..................................100www.gershmanacoustics.comGoodwin's High End ....................................132www.goodwinshighend.comGTT Audio and Video ..................................117www.gttgroup.comHansen Audio ..............................................91www.hansenaudio.comHarmonix......................................................32www.mayaudio.comHSU Research ............................................153www.hsuresearch.comHyperion Sound Design, Inc. ........................138www.hyperionsound.comKimber Kable................................................30www.kimber.comKrell ............................................................57www.krellonline.comL&M Custom Home Entertainment ..............129www.lmche.comLanding Distributors ....................................105Linn Incorporated ..........................................41www.linninc.comMagico ........................................................33www.magico.netManley Laboratories, Inc. ............................138www.manleylabs.comMark Levinson ..............................................51www.marklevinson.comMBL of America ............................................24www.mbl-hifi.comMeridian ......................................................55www.meridian-audio.comMessenger ................................................154www.acousticimage.com/MessengerPreamp.shtmlMontana Loudspeakers ................................73www.montanaloudspeakers.comMurata ........................................................11www.murata.com/speakerMusic Direct ................61, 110, 111, 112, 113www.musicdirect.comMusic Interface Technologies ........................17www.mitcables.comMusical Sounds ..........................................155www.musicalsounds.usMusical Surroundings....................................98www.musicalsurroundings.comNAD ............................................................21www.NADelectronics.comNola Loudspeakers ......................................38www.nolaspeakers.comNordost Corp. ..............................................79www.nordost.comNuforce ........................................................22www.nuforce.comOverture Audio Video ..................................123overtureav.comParadigm ......................................................15www.paradigm.comPass Laboratories ........................................37www.passlabs.comPer Madsen Design ....................................139www.rackittm.comPierre Gabriel Acoustic Inc.............................39www.pierregabriel.comPortal Audio..................................................23www.portalaudio.comPSB ............................................................35www.psbspeakers.comPurist Audio Design ......................................81www.puristaudiodesign.comQ-USA ........................................................154www.q-usa.comReference 3A................................................64www.reference3A.comReno HiFi ..................................................150www.renohifi.comRevel............................................................63www.revelspeakers.comRevelation Audio Labs ................................139www.revelationaudiolabs.comRhapsody Music & Cinema ..........................131www.rhapsodynyc.comRotel............................................................53www.rotel.comSanus Systems ..........................................119www.sanus.comShunyata Research ......................................71www.shunyata.comSiltech ........................................................77www.siltechcables.comSimaudio Ltd ................................................69www.simaudio.comSound Fusion................................................49www.soundfusion.caSumiko ....................................................3, 27www.sumikoaudio.netSynergistic Research ....................................43www.synergisticresearch.comTara Labs ....................................................47www.taralabs.comTodd the Vinyl Junkie ..................................137www.toddthevinyljunkie.comTonian Labs ................................................152www.tonianlabs.comTotem Acoustic ............................................45www.totemacoustic.comTransparent Cable ........................................85www.transparentcable.comUpscale Audio ....................102, 103, 136, 140www.upscaleaudio.comVandersteen Audio ........................................80www.vandersteen.comVenture ........................................................22www.ventureaudio.comVibrapod Co. ..............................................138www.vibrapod.comVirtual Dynamics ..........................................97www.virtualdynamics.caVon Schweikert Audio ....................................95www.vonschweikert.comWalker Audio ..............................................107www.walkeraudio.comWBT ............................................................89www.wbtusa.comWilson Audio ............................................5, 13www.wilsonaudio.comWireworld ..................................................155www.wireworldaudio.comWright's Reprints ........................................154WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 159

Audio FindsAssociate Editor Jonathan Valin reports on a few audio raritiesfrom the recent Bighorn Sheep Audio Fest in Boise.Antiquarian Sound “Eternal Care”Tube AmplifierThe $1500 150Wpc AS “Eternal Care” tube amp is guaranteedto sound great. We mean it. Of course, nothing’s perfect—noteven an amp built of the finest North Korean componentsand designed from a time-tested schematic publishedin the Fall 1928 edition of Wireless World. If little problemsshould crop up—like, oh, flames bursting from the tube socketsor capacitors going off like Roman candles—AS has you covered!The company guarantees to replace that burned-out ampin perpetuity. Just, for God’s sake, wrap the smoking chassis infireproof packaging before mailing it back to AS’s ultra-modernfacilities in P’yongyang. In about two-to-nine months, a brandnewamp will begin wending its way to your door via Canada,Mexico, or St. Kitts. There is no limit on replacement amps,and the AS “Eternal Care” Tube Amp warranty is transferable toa second party for a small fee ($1500). Note: All warrantiesvoided when the AS is used with a TAXTile Boom-RemoverOne or Bernadette of Lourdes CD Purifier.TAXTile Boom-Remover One DigitalSignal ProcessorEveryone knows that, short of a shallow closet or windowseat,a tight corner is the best place to park your subwoofer. Sowhat if it generates enough boom to register 7.8 on the seismographin Cholame, California? Theoretically, it’s in the right spot.All you need is a TAXTile Boom-Remover One Digital SignalProcessor to level the little hills and dales of corner-woofer placement.Capable of ±175dB cuts and boosts in 1Hz increments at225dB/octave slopes, the TAXTile BR-1 can flatten that +58dBbump at 40Hz, while simultaneously filling in that -80dB dip at39Hz! In the digital realm, anything is possible, and because it’sdigital you won’t even know the BR-1 is in the circuit! Honest.All you’ll get is pure clean undistorted bass. Bass like you’venever heard before; bass like grandma used to make.TAXTile “Widowmaker” Two Power AmpAdding 80dB of boost at 39Hz may “tax” a conventionalamp’s power supply. Enter the TAXTile “Widowmaker”Two Los Angeles Class power amplifier. Using recently declassifiedmilitary technology, the WM-2 employs an unconventional,multi-stage, water-cooled power supply that gives it virtuallylimitless current for those big dynamic swings. The WM-2 comes with everything you need to keep your TAXTile Boom-Remover One Digital Signal Processor running flawlessly fordecades, including special Widowmaker-2 “Playsuit” with windowedhood for the occasional amp inspection and a complimentarytin of TAXT-tassium Iodide-licious lozenges for anafter-inspection treat. Note: Some assembly required.Bernadette of Lourdes CD PurifierImported all the way from France, Bernadette of Lourdes CDPurifier will bring out nuances you’ve never heard before onyour silver discs. Just immerse the CD in this “magical” liquid,wipe with special “prayer cloth,” repeat six times, thenrinse the disc off with a strong lye soap and distilled water.Dry for about ten minutes in a microwave oven set to “Thaw.”You will not believe the results! Note: Under no circumstancesshould Bernadette of Lourdes CD Purifier be used anywherenear an Antiquarian Sound “Eternal Care” TubeAmplifier. The fires that result have proved nearly impossibleto extinguish, spreading rapidly and burning for days. Also,avoid contact with skin.Dusty Goes Busty [Classy Reissues]Recorded just before the fabled songstress went into rehab, thishard-to-find album from Dusty Chestcold (The Look of Dusty,Dusty Ain’t Fussy, Dusty Gets Lusty), has been lovingly remasteredfrom the original mastertapes and reissued by Classy in a twelvedisc,78rpm box set on 600-gram Silencio! shellac. FeaturingDusty’s legendary renditions of “I’ll Do Anything for Another Hiton that Pipe,” “Can I Sink Any Lower?” and “I Wish I WereDead,” Dusty Goes Busty is torch-singing at its finest.Sunray Disc Flattener and Waffle IronVinyl is great, but oh those warps! Now you don’t have to livewith anything less than a perfectly flat LP. Just put the offendingrecord in the Sunray Disc Flattener tray, close the hinged lid,set the temperature to “Flatten,” wait exactly two minutes and,voilà, an LP that’s flat as a pancake. And speaking of pancakes…load up the tray with your favorite batter, set the temperature to“Cook,” and the versatile Sunray will deliver the perfect breakfastin just a few seconds. You can even fry your bacon in the Sunray.Man, that’s good eatin’—and great sound, too!160 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY 2006