Sensible Sound articles from April 2002

Sensible Sound archives from April 2002

Ramblings.(Editorial)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Welcome to Issue #90, an issue with a little bit of everything, including show reports, reviews of equipment, and plenty of music reviews encompassing several formats: CD, SACD, DVD, even some video. There are articles, assertions, apologies,...

Some helpful suggestions. (Forum).(Editorial)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2002... I was SO PLEASED to receive Issue 88 with "Staff Picks." This is exactly the information that a casual audiophile like myself needs, since the time required to run my business precludes the time required to sort through individual reviews. A...

Smug and loving it. (Forum).(Editorial)
April 1, 2002... I have been an avid reader of The $ensible Sound for years, and I have watched the price go up, but it seems worth it. For some reason I haven't subscribed, but I will. My motive for writing is what I perceive as a certain smugness regarding...

TV or not TV? (Forum).(Editorial)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2002... Haven't sent you anything for many years; I had a long letter in (I think) Issue #2, but I've been reading and subscribing all along. I wanted to thank Tom Krehbiel for his "Surveying the Soundscape" item on "DTV vs. TV." This is something...

It's show time! (Surveying The Soundscape).(Consumer Electronics Show 2002)(Editorial)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... It's Show Time! Las Vegas is the home of galloping optimism and this year's Consumer Electronics Show displayed plenty of that. But only time I ran headlong into downright giddiness was at the press presentation at which Rearden Steel...

Formats and floormats. (Surveying The Soundscape).(Sony, Koninklijke Philips Electronics' Super Audio CD format)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Formats and Floormats: The Philips and Sony press conferences both glowed with optimism for the Super Audio CD, which they described as "the music lover's format." It's also the format that does not threaten Philips and Sony's revenue stream...

Onward, randomly. (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Onward, Randomly: And now to the Alexis Park, where the specialty audio manufacturers set up shop. Partly in recognition of the unordered presentation as one strolls from demo room to demo room and partly in recognition of the fact that I'm too...

The rise of the house of Usher. (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Rise of the House of Usher: Here's a CD of music for demonstration put together by Usher, a Taiwanese speaker company (www.usheraudio.com). This company strives for highend recognition and to that end has employed Dr. Joseph D'Appolito as...

Disc `n' dat. (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Disc `n' Dat: Next thing out of the box is another disc. This one's an intriguing demo DVD from AIX Records (www.aixrecords.com). AIX produces two-sided DVD music discs from 96 kHz/24 bit session recordings. Side A has native DVD-Audio directly...

ELAC is back! (Surveying The Soundscape).(ELAC Miracord turntable/changers )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... ELAC is Back! Experienced (a nice way of saying "ancient") audio buffs may recall the impressive ELAC Miracord turntable/changers that the Benjamin company imported a number of years ago. ELAC cartridges graced the US market for a while, too....

From the margins. (Surveying The Soundscape).(The Home Entertainment Expo)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... From the Margins: Next on the pile is the show guide from T.H.E. Expo (The Home Entertainment Expo). That's the mini-show that used to operate in the St. Tropez hotel right next door to the Alexis Park. This year that show moved a few blocks...

Allison is back! (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2002... Allison is Back! And the new line of loudspeakers from Allison Acoustics (now of Danville, Kentucky and www.allisonacoustics.com) is nothing less than the old line of Allison speakers. You can once again buy brand new Allison One, Allison...

Kirksaeter is back! (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Kirksaeter is Back! (Are you noticing a trend here?) This Norway-based company (www.kirksaeter.com) is now making speakers in the former Soviet Union and they're available again in the US through Kingcaid Acoustics. I was extremely favorably...

Sugden is back! (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Sugden is Back! (This is the last one, I promise.) This British firm's sweet electronics are being brought to the US by Stanalog Audio Imports (www.stanalogaudio.com). Their Bijou Audiophile Mini-System was easily the most "wantable" audio...

Cool things. (Surveying The Soundscape).(Disc-Clip hanging CD storage system )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Cool Things: The coolest thing I saw at the show was the Disc-Clip hanging CD storage system (www.disc-clip.com). A Disc-Clip is a small aluminum hook-like thing that snaps into the little edge opening in the cover of a standard CD jewel case....

Blown-up speakers. (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Blown-up Speakers: NXT hosted an early evening reception at the Bellagio. As with last year's breakfast, the company used the occasion to show off both real and concept products using their unique SurfaceSound technology. There wasn't anything...

But seriously, folks. (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... But Seriously, Folks: Marchand Electronics was one of the "serious" companies showing at the Tuscany (www.marchandelec.com). Their bread-and-butter products are various carefully designed and highly flexible tube and solid-state electronic...

Vola vouz? (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Vola Vouz? SYN Factory (www.synfactory.com) had its "unique and inimitable" U-vola loudspeakers on display again. They're egg-shaped two-way systems that hang from the ceiling and have a nearly omnidirectional polar pattern, at least up to a...

The ace of bass. (Surveying The Soundscape).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... And of course if you're looking for a subwoofer to add to any system that's a little light in the lower regions, Hsu Research (www.hsuresearch.com) is right there with various options. As usual Dr. Hsu had set up his usual "cheapest equipment...

Five little thoughts and an update. (Skeptimania).(Editorial)
April 1, 2002... [Editor's Note: In Issue 89's "Skeptimania' column the statement was made that Better Cables' Silver Serpent cable "appears to have a characteristic impedance of 150 ohms, which is meaningless for audio frequencies. However, I would not...

Audio Physic Tempo IIIi loudspeakers. (Equipment).
April 1, 2002... Distributor: Immedia, 1717A Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710; Phone: (510) 559-2050 Fax: (510) 559-1855 www.immedia.com Price: $3,495/pr in standard black ash; $3,745 for optional finishes Source: Distributor loan I'm always on...

Hsu Research bass optimizer. (Equipment).
April 1, 2002... Manufacturer: Hsu Research, 3160 E. La Palma Ave #D, Anaheim, CA 92806; 800/554-0150 Price: $100, factory-direct Source: Manufacturer loan This is a short review of a nifty, low-priced product that some of you will want to rush right out...

NHT ST4, SB3, SB1, SC1, and SW10 loudspeakers. (Equipment).
April 1, 2002... Manufacturer: NHT, 527 Stone Road, Benicia, CA 94510; 800/NHT-9993 Price: ST4 floor-standing tower, $1,000/pr; SB3 bookshelf system, $600/pr; SB1 bookshelf system, $300/pr, SC1 center-channel, $300; SW10 powered subwoofer, $500 Source:...

Parts Express subwoofer kit. (Equipment).
April 1, 2002... Distributor: Parts Express, 725 Pleasant Valley Drive, Springboro, OH 45066-1158 Price: $350 Source: Distributor loan The Parts Express subwoofer kit, designed by Vance Dickason of "Loudspeaker Cookbook" fame, is advertised as taking less...

Sunfire Theater Grand II Processor. (Equipment).
April 1, 2002... Manufacturer: Sunfire Corporation, P.O. Box 1589, Snohomish, WA98290; 425/335-4748; www.sunfire.com Price: $3,495 Source: Manufacturer loan I started writing this review some six months ago. I can't remember whether my keyboard shorted out...

Yamaha DVD-S1200 DVD player. (Equipment).
April 1, 2002... Manufacturer: Yamaha Electronics Corporation, 6660 Orangethorpe Ave., Buena Park, CA 90620; 800/4-YAMAHA Price: $999 Source: Manufacturer loan When I reviewed the Yamaha DVD-S795 DVD player back in issue 80, I made a point of indicating...

More jazz than not. (The Music).
April 1, 2002... Susanne Abbuehl: April (ECM 1766 440 013 999-2) I often get sent recordings by jazz vocalists, but I seldom recommend any in these pages. Quite frankly, most of them are pretty tiresome, and after I force myself to listen to them once, or...

Double Double. (The Music).
April 1, 2002... Long-time readers may have noticed by now that Tom Lyle and I are fans of large-scale orchestral music; the symphonies of Mahler, Shostakovitch, and Bruckner have been the subjects of many of our comparisons, with a very occasional (indeed,...

Carousel corner. (The Music).
April 1, 2002... Finally the crush of technology and progress has painted this column into the perennial corner, carousel changer and all. While we've focused on recorded music intended for playback on your hi-fi -- i.e., your listening rig -- there are just...

Reissue roundup: The Times, They Are A-Changing--The End of American Rock's Golden Age. (The Music).
April 1, 2002... "Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?" Despite America's great technological and social advances in the 20th century, the nation increasingly found itself immersed in the problems and politics of the world's less fortunate...

Scoping software: two-channel and surround-sound mixes. (The Music).
April 1, 2002... Bach, Johann Christian: Piano Concerto 13 (4-6) and Piano Concerto 14. Hanover Band; Anthony Halstead, piano and conducting. Recorded in 1999, at Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, England. Engineer: Nicholas Parker. 63+ minutes. CPO 999 691. The...

John Puccio reviews ... (The Music).
April 1, 2002... Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 7 and 8. Andrew Penny, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Naxos 8.552001. Contemporary English composer Sir Malcolm Arnold (b. 1921) has written a multitude of film scores, and as a result he is often thought...