Sensible Sound articles from April 2006

Sensible Sound archives from April 2006

Ramblings.
April 1, 2006... Welcome to Issue 108, which features reviews of some product types that we have not looked at for a while, plus some old standby categories. We also feature a look at the recent Las Vegas CES extravaganza, an incredible concatenation of old and...

T$S rocks.(FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Dr. Rich's articles in the latest T$S--excellent, splendid, superb, etc., etc., etc. They are of a caliber to be included in such notable publications as The Audio Critic and audio Xpress. Dr. Rich's down-to-earth forthrightness is very...

T$S reeks.(FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I feel let down by Issue #105-Sept/Oct 2005. For a magazine with the motto: "Helping Audiophiles & Music Lovers to spend less & get more," why is the BeoLab 5 Loudspeaker on the cover and why was a review of this strange, high-priced...

T$S drools.(FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... How can one issue offend three times? Just joking, almost. Bet you thought it would be about the David A. Rich articles. No. First, the Mahler No. 2 review by KWN. Unless I am mistaken, this Telarc was recorded in the early 80's and...

T$S rules.(FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I picked up issue #106 as an enjoyable diversion during the holidays... I like reading about audio, but have recently grown weary of the typical rags' repeated use of the same adjectives to describe gear I can't afford (palpable, airy, liquid,...

Compact disc player/recorders: a vanishing breed?(product evaluation)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... This is a very short report on a very useful audio product category that may be disappearing. The component category under consideration is the compact disc recorder. The two examples with I am most familiar are both units that I have owned and...

Make my radio HD, please!(high definition)(evaluation of high definition radio)(Column)
April 1, 2006... Depending on where you live and what radio stations you listen to, you may have heard about this mysterious new "HD" radio. The "HD" stands for "High-Definition," and it's the trade name for latest breakthrough in terrestrial radio: digital...

Speakers, rooms, and speaker sound.(SKEPTIMANIA)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... While I any pretty much retired from the audio-journalism business, I do intend to occasionally submit copy dealing with whatever happens to be on my mind at the moment. As it is, right now there are two topics on my mind relating to audio: one...

Surveying the soundscape.(Bose)
April 1, 2006... A few years ago, Esquire magazine created a reader panel and sent occasional surveys to selected subscribers. My name happened to come up on the list of prospects and I agreed to participate. One of the questionnaires involved, not...

Searching for the sensible products at CES 2006.(CES 2006 ROUNDUP)
April 1, 2006... CES grows each year. Despite a major renovation to the Las Vegas Convention Center that almost doubled it size a few years ago, a major percentage of CES is again off-site. With a record 120,000 people in town traveling between off-site venues...

Cary Audio SLI-80 integrated amplifier.(COMPONENTS)
April 1, 2006... Manufacturer: Cary Audio Design, Inc., 1020 Goodworth Drive, Apex, NC 27539 909-355-0010 voice / 909-355-0013 fax, website: www.caryaudio.com Price: $3,000 Source: Manufacturer Loan As fate would have it this review is only...

ELP Laser Turntable.(T$S)
April 1, 2006... Distributor: Future Tech, LLC, 39 Rugged Rock Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475; 860/577-8076 Manufacturer: ELP Corp., Mirami-Ku, Saitamatui Suitama, Japan 336-0017 Price: $14,999 Source: Manufacturer loan There are still many of...

Grado PH-1 phono preamp.(T$S)
April 1, 2006... Manufacturer: Grado Labs, 4614 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11220 MSRP: $500 Source: Manufacturer loan Specifications: High Gain: 1.2 mv Low Gain: 7 mv Signal to Noise Ratio: 85 dB Distortion (THD): Less than...

Marchand Electronics LN108 phono preamp.(T$S)
April 1, 2006... Manufacturer: Marchand Electronics Inc., PO Box 18099, Rochester, NY 14618; 585/423-0462; www.marchandelec.com Price: LN108-AA (assembled), $495; LN108-EZK (EZ kit) $396; LN108-KK (kit), $297 Source: Manufacturer loan Marchand...

Snell Acoustics LCR7 Loudspeaker.(T$S)
April 1, 2006... Manufacturer: Snell Acoustics, 300 Jubilee Drive, PO Box 3717, Peabody, MA 01961-3717; 978/538-6262; www.snellacoustics.com Prices: $2,000/pr Source: Manufacturer loan OK, right off the bat, here is the primary news: the superb...

Ultimate ears super.fi 5 pro earphones.(T$S)
April 1, 2006... Manufacturer: Ultimate Ears, 5 Jenner Street, Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92618; 800/589-6531; www.UltimateEars.com Price: $249.99 Source: Manufacturer Loan If you have the ideal home set-up, when you want to listen to music you retire...

Usher Audio R-1.5 stereo amplifier.(T$S)
April 1, 2006... Manufacturer: Usher Audio, 67 Kai-Fong St., Section 1, Taipei, 10041 Taiwan Distributor: Thee High End 6923 Inwood Rd., Dallas, Texas 75209; 214-704-6082; www.usherusa.net Price: $2,500 Source: Manufacturer Loan After last...

More jazz than not.(THE MUSIC)
April 1, 2006... Copland: Motets; Durufle: Gregorian Motets; Messiaen; O sacrum convivium; Tallis: O sacrum convivium; Tavener: Song for Athene; Vaughan Williams: Mass in G Minor Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus/Norman Mackenzie (Telarc SACD 60654) ...

Double Double.(comparative analysis of sound recordings)(Column)
April 1, 2006... In this installment, Tom Lyle and I are back to our usual shtick, comparing two versions of recordings of music by good old Gustav Mahler. Face it, when it comes to the music of Mahler, Tom and I are just TWO WILD AND CRAAAZZZYYY GUYS!! Mozart...

Carousel corner.(THE MUSIC)(Chaos and Creation in the Backyard)(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... One interesting development to this month's rock'n'roll gaggle was my attempt to play Kasabian (see below) on my PC. I always listen to review discs on the big rig, but I write at the PC and often play them there while writing. First, it...

Vinylla fudge.(The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall)(Greatest Hits)(The Experience Sessions)(sound recording review)(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall (Mosaic Records 231-MR-LP) So much has been written about the CD version of this release that I feel a bit silly writing about the album myself, but there might be a couple of...

Reissue Roundup.(THE MUSIC)(Howard Hanson Conducts Howard Hanson)(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... This edition of Reissue Roundup will cover just two new reissues, one of which would have qualified for my Collector's Corner feature (soon to be renamed) until Universal surprised all of us by re-releasing one of the most sought-after...

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.(Audiobook review)
April 1, 2006... Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Billy Strauss (Ghostlight 7915584406) While each of these four cast recordings embody a certain degree of camp--Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is also the most retro. Not quite film...

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Music and lyrics by William Finn (Ghostlight 7915584407) Spelling Bee was the 2005 season's feel-good musical. Politically correct, it reassures us of our human side. In the tradition of Avenue...

The Light in the Piazza.(Brief article)(Audiobook review)
April 1, 2006... The Light in the Piazza. Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel (Nonesuch 798290) 2004's most sophisticated score was Caroline, or Change. 2005's winner is The Light in the Piazza which not only moves the art form forward, but is also a...

Spamalot.(Brief article)(Audiobook review)
April 1, 2006... Spamalot. Music by John Du Prez & Eric Idle; Lyrics by Eric Idle (Decca B0004265) There are no scared cows in Spamalot. Everyone and everything is fodder for skewering. And so, after an ultra-brief "Tuning" (19 seconds) and a brief...

Bach: Bradenburg Concertos.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Bach: Brandenburg Concertos. Rinaldo Alessandrini, Concerto Italiano. Naive OP 30412 (Two CDs and one DVD). Music, like most other art, affects different people in different ways. We wouldn't want it otherwise. My guess is that a majority...

Brahms: Symphony No. 2; Hungarian Dances.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Brahms: Symphony No. 2; Hungarian Dances. Marin Alsop, London Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos 8.557429. You know it must be an important disc when a budget label like Naxos provides the jewel box with its own slipcover. You also know...

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic.".(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic." Kurt Sanderling, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Profil PH05020. Kurt Sanderling began his musical career in 1931 and worked steadily in the field, mostly as a conductor, until he announced...

Chanticleer: Sound in Spirit.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... Chanticleer: Sound in Spirit. Warner Classics R2 61941. Chanticleer is the immaculate male choir that has been gaining so much attention, winning so many plaudits, and becoming so popular lately. Their newest disc, Sound in Spirit, is a...

Charpentier: Te Deum; Grand Office Des Morts.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Charpentier: Te Deum; Grand Office Des Morts. William Christie, Les Arts Florissants. Virgin Classics 7243 5 45733 2. If the Te Deum's opening "Marche de timbales" doesn't make your demonstration-disc list, you probably don't have a system...

Concerti Virtuosi.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... Concerti Virtuosi. Jeanne Lamon, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Analekta AN 2 9815. The Canadian period-instruments Tafelmusik is one of today's leading Baroque orchestras, the group as refined yet as exciting playing period instruments as,...

Debussy: La Mer; La Boite a joujoux; Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune; Three Preludes.
April 1, 2006... Debussy: La Mer; La Boite a joujoux; Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune; Three Preludes. Sir Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI 7243 5 58045-2. You'd think by the number of recordings Sir Simon Rattle was making for EMI that...

Mahler: Symphony No. 1; Songs of a Wayfarer.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... Mahler: Symphony No. 1; Songs of a Wayfarer. Christopher Maltman, baritone; Benjamin Zander, Philharmonia Orchestra. Telarc 2CD-80628. One can hardly complain about the dollar value involved here: You not only get two discs for the price of...

Mexican Piano Music. .(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Mexican Piano Music by Manuel M. Ponce. Jorge Federico Osorio, piano. Cedille Records 90000 086. The opening piece on this disc, "Estrellita," is ravishingly, heart-meltingly exquisite, and pianist Jorge Federico captures perfectly its...

Michael Rabin, 1936-1972.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... Michael Rabin, 1936-1972, Volumes 1 and 2. Michael Rabin, violin; various conductors and orchestras. EMI CMS 7 64123-2 (six-disc set) Finally, finally, violinist Michael Rabin's stereo recording of the Paganini First Violin Concerto is...

Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Transcriptions. Pictures at an Exhibition; Boris Godunov; Night on Bare Mountain.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Transcriptions. Pictures at an Exhibition; Boris Godunov; Night on Bare Mountain. Jose Serebrier, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.557645. As we know, Leopold Stokowski was not only a popular conductor, he also...

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2. Leif Ove Andsnes, piano; Antonio Pappano, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI 7243 4 74813 2. Even today when his name is one of the cornerstones of classical music, Sergei Rachmaninov gets slammed...

Shall I Compare Thee? Choral Songs on Shakespeare Texts.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... Shall I Compare Thee ? Choral Songs on Shakespeare Texts. Chicago a capella. Cedille CDR 900000 085. If the success of an album depends on the number of times one throws it into the player, then "Shall I Compare?" must be my record of the...

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; The Nightingale.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; The Nightingale. Olga Trifonova, soprano; Robert Tear, tenor; et al. Robert Craft, London Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestra. Naxos 8.557501. I didn't care overmuch for Robert Craft's conducting of...

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2006... Wagner: Tristan und Isolde. Domingo, Stemme, Fujimura, Bar, Pape, Bostridge, Holt, Rose, Villazon; Antonio Pappano, Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. EMI 7243 5 58006-2 (3 CD-1 DVD set). With its stellar leads,...