Sensible Sound articles from April 1 2008

Sensible Sound archives from April 1 2008

Red faced rich again.(RAMBLINGS)(Oppo DV-980H DVD player)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... In his review of the Oppo DV-980H in the January 2008 issue of Stereophile, Kalman Robinson identified some AV receivers as incompatible when playing SACD discs over the HDMI link because the subwoofer (0.1) channel is inactive. I did not check...

The audiophile who cried wolf.(RAMBLINGS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... A long time ago, an audiophile descended from the forest to warn that preamps could alter the sound of a Hi Fi even if they measured very well. The wise men of the village who belonged to the Audio Engineering Society (AES) debunked the claim...

CES 2008.(RAMBLINGS)(Consumer Electronics Show)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... As far as I could tell, little changed from 2007. Major companies like JBL, Infinity, Onkyo and Yamaha skipped the show entirely preferring to show at CEDIA. The press corps must have multiplied ten-fold with all the internet websites and...

Acoustisoft MP-B-USB Kit ($425): www.acoustisoft.com.(AUDITIONS)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... High quality room measurements are now easier with the Acoustisoft MP-B-USB Kit. I recommended the Acoustisoft (also know as ETF Acoustic) RPlusD software in Issue 113 but did not discuss options for microphones and soundcards. Doug Plumb...

Audio-Technica ATH-A700 Headphones ($299): www.audio-technica.com.(AUDITIONS)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... Headphones, headphones.... Everybody uses them in some fashion but nobody wants to give you some help in choosing them. There are, of course, several types: over the ear and on the ear, either open or closed back types, and the kind used mostly...

SVS SCS-01 satellite speakers & SB12-plus subwoofer.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... Manufacturer: SV Sound International LLC, 6420 Belmont Ave., Liberty, OH 44420; (877) 626-5623; www.svsound.com Prices: (factory direct): satellites: $350 per pair (black or white vinyl); black-vinyl finished sub: $699 (maple, oak, or...

KEF reference model 205/2.(speaker)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... Manufacturer: KEF America, 10 Timber Lane, Marlboro, NJ 07746; (732) 683 2356; www.kef.com Price: $12,000/pair Source: Manufacturer loan The Design KEF is one of the most distinguished names in audio, with roots extending...

Onkyo TXSR 705 and TXSR 805 AV receivers.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... Manufacturer: Onkyo USA, 18 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458; 201/785-2600; www.us.onkyo.com Prices: $900 / $1100 Source: Manufacturer Loan I am not listing all the features, I/O connections, and specifications to...

NHT classic four loudspeakers.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2008... Manufacturer: NHT, 6400 Goodyear Road, Benicia, CA 94510; 1-800-NHT-9993; www.nhthifi.com Price: $1,800/pair Source: Manufacturer loan While this is my first review of NHT products, their speakers are actually well-known to me....

More jazz than not.(THE MUSIC)(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"; Piano Sonata No. 28 Helene Grimaud, piano/Staatskapelle Dresden/Vladimir Jurowski (Deutsche Grammophon B0009840-02) This new recording of the "Emperor" Concerto arrived not long after I had...

Double Double.(THE MUSIC)
April 1, 2008... For this issue, Tom Lyle and I have decided enter the 21st century and try something a bit different from what we normally do. Rather than compare two CD releases of the same composition, we are comparing a commercial CD release to a release...

Vinylla fudge.(THE MUSIC)(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Sonic Youth The Destroyed Room, b-sides and rarities (Goofin' Records goo-012) It seems as if for this issue's column I'm returning to some old favorites once again. It's not my fault: they keep releasing records, and I keep acquiring...

Carousel corner.(THE MUSIC)(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... A large portion of this issue's column is devoted to Rhino's new and spectacular "Nuggets" compilation, Love Is the Song We Sing, San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970, a, well, loving look at the explosion of indigenous bands and their novel...

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5; Piano Sonata No. 28.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5; Piano Sonata No. 28. Helene Grimaud, piano; Vladimir Jurowski, Dresden Staatskapelle. DG B0009840-02. The booklet note describes Ms. Grimaud as "among the most sagacious of today's keyboard artists- a...

Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies. Eugen Jochum, Concertgebouw Orchestra. Philips Original Masters 475 8147. Some years ago, I overheard the manager of a classical record store telling a customer that he thought Eugen Jochum and Karl Bohm were...

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic".(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic." Gunter Wand, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. Profil PHO6046. Profil may make me think twice about live recordings. I usually don't care for them; they're too often vague and distant, with a plethora of...

Debussy: Orchestral Works, Volumes I and II.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Debussy: Orchestral Works, Volumes I and II. Jean Martinon, Orchestre National de I'ORTF. EM10946 3 65235 and 0946 3 6524040 (both two-disc sets). I mean, who else would you want to hear playing Debussy? Jean Martinon was always the best...

English Tone Pictures: Bax, Delius, and Ireland.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... English Tone Pictures: Bax, Delius, and Ireland: Sir John Barbirolli, London Symphony Orchestra and Halle Orchestra. EMI 0946 3 79984 2 7. I mean, who would rather having conducting English pastoral music than Sir John Barbirolli? Well,...

Grooving Classics: A String & Percussion Fest!(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Grooving Classics: A String & Percussion Fest! Harold Farberman, Colorado String Quartet and the Ethos Percussion Group. FIM XR24 044. This is an odd one. Sonically, the disc sounds better than almost anything you'll find on CD, no...

Krommer and Spohr: Clarinet Concertos.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Krommer and Spohr: Clarinet Concertos. Sabine Meyer and Julian Bliss, clarinets; Kenneth Sillito, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. EMI Classics 0946 3 79786 2 7. Things begin in the lightest possible mood with Franz Krommer's Concerto...

Mahler: Symphony No. 1.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Mahler: Symphony No. 1. Sir Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Decca Originals 475 8230. At the moment, my favorite Mahler First is still Sir Charles Mackerras's on EMI Eminence, but certainly this 1984 recording from another "Sir,"...

Mahler: Symphony No. 5.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Mahler: Symphony No. 5. James DePreist, London Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.557990. A friend of mine was commenting recently on how the cost of the formerly budget-priced Naxos releases has inched to within a few dollars or what we normally...

Mahler: Symphony No. 9; Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen; Death and Transfiguration.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Mahler: Symphony No. 9; Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen; Death and Transfiguration. Otto Klemperer, New Philharmonia and Philharmonia Orchestras. EMI 0946 3 80003 2 7. EMI issued this 1967 Mahler Ninth recording a few years back in their...

Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words (selection), arranged for violin and piano by Friedrich Hermann. Alex Strauss, violin; Cord Garben, piano. Naxos 8.570213. Even if you don't think you've ever heard any of Mendelssohn's piano works called...

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor; Bruch: Romance in F for viola and orchestra; Violin Concerto No. 1.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor; Bruch: Romance in F for viola and orchestra; Violin Concerto No. 1. Janine Jansen, violin; Riccardo Chailly, Gewandhausorchester. Decca B0007260-2. It's hard to argue with success, especially when...

Philharmonic Ball: Music by Johann and Josef Strauss.(Sound recording review)
April 1, 2008... Philharmonic Ball: Music by Johann and Josef Strauss. Willi Boskovsky, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. LIM XR24 019. In the booklet insert, Winston Ma, the owner and producer of the high-end label First Impression Music, tells us that...