Sensible Sound articles from January 2007

Sensible Sound archives from January 2007

Ramblings.(Steve Baird, Thom Moon)
January 1, 2007... Welcome to Issue 111, which features an in-depth review (in fact, it is the longest review we have ever printed in our nearly 30 years of covering equipment) of an amazing new audio component by Dr. David Rich. Not many of you will be able to...

Format wars.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Please refer to your recent issue Number 109; the David Rich article "Skeptimania." I enjoy reading everything that David writes; both in The Sensible Sound and The Audio Critic. However it is my opinion that he missed a point or two concerning...

Carrying the tech torch.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I wanted to drop you a brief note regarding my thoughts after reading all the back issues from your recent $20 offer. First let me say that in general I'm pleased with the magazine and will more than likely renew my subscription. Here are a few...

Surveying the soundscape.
January 1, 2007... Mono a Mono: It's time to revisit a couple of topics from previous columns: mono music reproduction and CD reissues, particularly of the jazz genre. This is in response to emails received at the office and forwarded along. On the jazz CD...

Everything old is new again.(VMPS RM40)(Product/service evaluation)(Column)
January 1, 2007... In July I celebrated the first-year anniversary of my new loudspeakers, the VMPS RM40s. OK, I know that after an entire year I shouldn't still be calling them "new," given that a lot of audiophiles probably go through a new piece of equipment...

Trinnov optimizer.(Trinnov Audio)
January 1, 2007... Manufacturer: Trinnov Audio, 30-32 avenue de la Republique, 94800 Villejuif, France (USA Operations: curt.hoyt@trinnov.com; 714-412-5184 Price: Approx. $12,000 including 1-year factory update and support Source: Manufacturer Loan...

Hsu Research VTF-3 MK-3 subwoofer, Turbocharger low-bass augmenting device, and optional outboard High-Pass filter.(Product/service evaluation)
January 1, 2007... Manufacturer: Hsu Research, 3160 E. La Palma Avenue, #D, Anaheim, CA 92806; (800) 554-0150; www.hsuresearch.com Prices: Subwoofer: $699.00; "Turbocharger" bass booster: $100.00 with sub purchase ($199.00 if purchased alone); Outboard...

Panasonic DMR-ES35V Video Recorder.(Product/service evaluation)
January 1, 2007... Manufacturer: Panasonic Consumer Electronics, One Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094 Price: Purchased for $246 Source: Reviewer Purchase Reviewer: Howard Ferstler OK, a while back I told the editor that I was retiring from...

Energy Reference Connoisseur RC-70 Loudspeakers.(T$S)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2007... Erratum: I wish to point out that because of a miscommunication with Energy, I put a notation on the graphs they supplied that indicated the graphs were not accurate below 40 Hz. Energy pointed out that "the curve is accurate to within about...

More jazz than not.(Bach: The Sonatas and Partitas for Violin, Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Copland: Prairie Journal)(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Bach: The Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo John Hollo-way, baroque violin (ECM New Series 1909/ 10 B0007621-02) Violinist John Holloway brings a light touch to these venerable works. On the baroque violin, the music seems a bit more...

Double double.(Enigma Variations)(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... For this issue, Tom Lyle and I have decided to compare two recordings of a late 19th-century composition (completed in 1899) that has found a place in the collections of most music lovers and audiophiles--not to mention TV commercial...

Carousel corner.(Sound recordings)
January 1, 2007... A couple of days ago the mail brought an interesting package, a small book a bit larger than a CD jewel case titled "Mozart Musical Masterpieces" and a raft of marketing material. The book contains an audio CD and a 24-page booklet. The CD has...

Reissue roundup.(A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night)(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... This has been a comparatively slow music-buying year for me, and many of my additions were hard-to-find, collectible, CDs that have been out of print for years. I will be grouping some of these into a column at a later time under my renamed...

2006 New Year's Concert.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... 2006 New Year's Concert. Mariss Jansons, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. DG 00289 477 5566 (2-Disc Set). Mariss Jansons is probably not the first name that springs to mind when you think of Strauss waltzes, but he acquits himself nicely in...

Arnold: Overtures, Op. 8; Incidental Music to Macbeth; Polly, overture.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Arnold: Overtures, Op. 8; Incidental Music to Macbeth; Polly, overture. Kevin Mallon, Toronto Camerata. Naxos 8.557484. No, this is not the music of popular twentieth-century British composer Malcolm Arnold. This is the music of popular...

Nicola Benedetti: Szymanowski, Chausson, Saint-Saens.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Nicola Benedetti: Szymanowski, Chausson, Saint-Saens. Daniel Harding, London Symphony Orchestra. DG B0006154-02. The question is not whether Scottish teenage prodigy Nicola Benedetti is a good violist; she is. The question is whether she is...

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1. Krystian Zimerman; Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. DG B0006203-2. I have never been a big fan of the Brahms First Piano Concerto, but I have to admit that Zimerman, Rattle, and BPO bring it off...

The Da Vinci Code. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... The Da Vinci Code. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Music composed by Hans Zimmer. Decca B0006479-02. As I've mentioned before in these pages, I am not a big fan of motion-picture soundtrack albums. I love movies, and I love some movie...

Dvorak: Symphony No. 7; The Wild Dove.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Dvorak: Symphony No. 7; The Wild Dove. Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Warner Classics 3984 21278-2. In the late 1990s, Nikolaus Harnoncourt turned his attention to the Dvorak symphonies and began recording them live...

Film Spectacular, vol. 2.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Film Spectacular, Volume II. Stanley Black, the London Festival Orchestra. FIM XR24 070. If you're of a certain age, you may remember the big to-do caused when Decca released its first "Phase 4" recordings during the early years of stereo...

FIM Super Sound! Limited Edition.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... FIM Super Sound! Limited Edition. FIM XR24 066. In the preface to this XR24 CD sampler, producer Winston Ma says "Some recordings have great music, but with mediocre sonic quality. Likewise, some have great sound, but with little musical...

Mendelssohn: Octet in E flat major, Op. 20; Bruch: Octet in B flat major.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Mendelssohn: Octet in E flat major, Op. 20; Bruch: Octet in B flat major. Kodaly Quartet, Auer Quartet. Naxos 8.557270. Like so many musical geniuses, Felix Mendelssohn was a child prodigy, producing his famous Octet at the age of sixteen....

Mozart: Three Divertimenti for Strings; Serenata Notturna.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Mozart: Three Divertimenti for Strings; Serenata Notturna. Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martinin-the-Fields. First Impression Music FIM XR24 071. After listening to the first track on this disc, the Divertimento in D, K. 136, and...

Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364; Duo for Violin and Viola in G, K. 423.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364; Duo for Violin and Viola in G, K. 423. Igor Oistrakh, violin; David Oistrakh, viola; Kiril Kondrashin, Moscow Philharmonic. FIM XR24 069. The first problem I had after listening to this 24-bit XRCD...

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 29-36, 38-41.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 29-36, 38-41. Daniel Barenboim, English Chamber Orchestra. EMI 0946 3 50917-2 and 0946 3 50922-2 (two 2-disc sets). With so many competing sets of late Mozart symphonies, it's futile to recommend any single one as...

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39 and 41.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39 & 41. Thomas Fey, Mannheim Mozart Orchestra. Profil PH05047. I never had any doubts about this recording from the opening notes. It sounds gorgeous. But I did question whether it was a period instruments band...

Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1-3.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1-3. Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante. Virgin Classics 0946 3 44706 2. Having apparently exhausted the repertoire of Vivaldi, Fabio Biondi and his Europa Galante players embark on the first three of Mozart's five...

Music from the Inside Out.(Video recording review)
January 1, 2007... Music from the Inside Out. (DVD from Emerging Pictures, 2004, 90 minutes.) "Music, n. 1. An art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color. 2. The...