Sensible Sound articles from July 2005

Sensible Sound archives from July 2005

Ramblings.
July 1, 2005... Welcome to Issue 104, wherein we look at some interesting equipment from both ends of the cost spectrum. From the sheer madness of some of the products at CES to the sheer inventiveness of James Bongiorno's circuitry to the sheer delight of...

Surveying the soundscape.(Consumer Electronics Show, 2005)
July 1, 2005... A Stroll through The Meadows: It wasn't the coldest CES I've experienced. I recall one year when ice formed on standing water along the side streets of Las Vegas. But the January 2005 show will live in my memory as the most bone-chilling. The...

Benchmark media systems DAC 1.(digital to analog converters)
July 1, 2005... Several reviews in this issue discuss DAC implementations in DVD players. In a similar vein, this column is a circuit-centric follow-up to the review of the DAC 1 in issue 102, with observations based upon the DAC manufacturer's data sheet and...

A new kind of woofer.(Bruce Thigpen )(Interview)
July 1, 2005... Most of us know how dynamic woofers work. A voice coil working within a magnetic field is excited by the AC voltage applied by an audio amplifier. The voice coil moves back and forth within the field at the input frequency, and attached to the...

CES 2005: Gary Lea's lost wages adventure.(Consumer Electronics Show, 2005)
July 1, 2005... It is no secret among readers of my past CES reviews that I truly love the show and look forward to it each year. It is Christmas for me and I always, and I do mean always, get excited and impatient the closer opening day gets. This was the...

Son of Ampzilla 2000 stereo power amplifier.(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Manufacturer: Spread Spectrum Technologies, 716 N. "G" Street, Unit 2, Lompoc, CA 93436; www.ampzilla2000.com; sstinc@earthlink.net Price: $3250 Source: Manufacturer loan This lengthy article can serve both a product review and...

Son of Ampzilla 2000 Circuit and Measurement Review.(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Son of Ampzilla 2000 Circuit and Measurement Review, by Dr. David Rich: The last time I tested a Spread Spectrum Design product it was the unique 2-to-3 channel synthesis circuit that they call the Trinaural processor. Obviously, three speakers...

Toshiba SD-4960 Universal Player.(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Manufacturer: Toshiba America, Inc., 1251 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 4110, New York, NY 10020; www.toshiba.com Price: $199 (purchased for $119) Source: Reviewer purchase Background: Howard Ferstler and other estimable...

Yamaha DVD-S1500 DVD player.(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Manufacturer: Yamaha Electronics Corporation, 6660 Orangethorpe Avenue, Buena Park, CA 90620; 800/ 492-6242 Price: $450 Source: Manufacturer Loan This review is a bit longer than usual (even for me), because it will deal not only...

Dr. David Rich on DACs, including the one used in the DVD-S1500.
July 1, 2005... Dr. David Rich on DACs, including the one used in the DVD-S1500: The CS4382 DAC delivers better than average behavior. To make life easier for our readers I am converting specification from the data sheet into effective number of bits (ENOBS)....

More jazz than not.(THE MUSIC)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Chopin: Scherzos Nos. 1-4; Impromptus Nos. 1-3 Yundi Li, piano (Deutsche Grammophon 00289 474 8782) This is exciting, expressive music, but it also is elegant. Pianist Yundi Li seems to balance excitement and elegance in an artful way,...

Double double.(Ralph Vaughan Williams, Symphony No.4)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... This time around Tom Lyle and I are comparing two recordings of Ralph Vaughan Williams's Symphony No.4, pitting a well regarded rendition from 1993 (can it really be more than a decade old, and we more than a decade older since it was...

Carousel corner.(THE MUSIC)
July 1, 2005... NPR's "On the Media" ran a segment in January (it's archived at http://www.onthemedia.org/ otm012105.html) which posited the demise of my generation of pop critics, asserting that "we" spent too much time and ink wringing our hands over the...

Scoping software.
July 1, 2005... This review column will be split into two sections: (1) sometimes lengthy SACD surround-sound evaluations and (2) somewhat abbreviated standard compact disc reviews. More channels require more words. The first part has been made possible...

Frigo, Johnny: Live from Studio A in New York City.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Frigo, Johnny: Live from Studio A in New York City (with Bucky and John Pizzarelli, and featuring Ron Carter, Michael Moore, and Butch Miles). Recorded in 1988. Engineer: Bob Katz. 55+ minutes. Chesky SACD 264. Given the production date,...

Great Tenor Arias.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Great Tenor Arias (from works by Gluck, Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Cimarosa, and Puccini). Juan Diego Florez, tenor. Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, conducted by Carlo Rizzi. Recorded in 2003, at the Auditorium di Milano, Milan....

Handel, George F.: Renee Fleming.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Handel, George F.: Renee Fleming (singing arias). Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Harry Bicket. Recorded in 2003, at The Colosseum, Watford, England. Engineering and surround mixing: Neil Hutchinson. 70+ minutes. Decca 475...

Oregon: Beyond Words.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Oregon: Beyond Words. Recorded in 1995, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, New York City; remastered for surround sound in 2003. Engineer: Bob Katz. 71+ minutes. Chesky SACD 252. This SACD release, which musically reminds me of some of the...

Pizzarelli, John: My Blue Heaven.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Pizzarelli, John: My Blue Heaven. Recorded in 1990, at Studio A, in New York City; remastered for surround ca. 2003. Engineers: Bob Katz, Barry Wolifson, and Nicholas Prout. 59+ minutes. Chesky SACD 254. The first thing I noticed with this...

Sempre Libera.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Sempre Libera (arias from works by Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti, and Puccini). Anna Netrebko, soprano. Mahler Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Claudio Abbado. Recorded in 2004, at Teatro Municipale, Valli, Italy. Engineers: Rainer Maillard,...

Taylor, Livingston: Ink.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Taylor, Livingston: Ink. Recorded in 1997, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, New York City; remastered for surround ca. 2003. Engineers: Bob Katz and Nicholas Prout. 48+ minutes. Chesky SACD 253. OK, this guy sounds so much like his brother...

Surround-sound summary.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Surround-Sound Summary: One final point regarding SACD (and DVD-A) recordings in general. Yes, when it comes to simulating a live-music environment with classical and some acoustic-jazz materials it is likely that good home DSP ambiance...

Bolcom, William: Songs of Innocence and of Experience.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Bolcom, William: Songs of Innocence and of Experience. The University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra, with soloists and choir of the University Musical Society, conducted by Leonard Slatkin. Recorded live in 2004, at Hill...

Britten, Benjamin: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra and Death in Venice Suite.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Britten, Benjamin: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra and Death in Venice Suite. English Chamber Orchestra, with Raphael Wallfisch, cello. Recorded in 1984, at St Barnabas Church, London and All Saints' Church, London. Engineer: Ralph Couzens....

Casadesus, Robert: Symphonies 1, 5, and 7.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Casadesus, Robert: Symphonies 1, 5, and 7. Northern Sinfonia, chorus, and soloists, conducted by Howard Shelly. Recorded in 2003, at Jubilee Hall, Gosforth, Newcastle. Engineer: Ralph Couzens. 64+ minutes. Chandos 10263. While considered...

Gomalan Brass Quintet.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Gomalan Brass Quintet (playing music by Verdi, Puccini and others). Recorded in 2002, at Tisti Hall, Trento, Italy. Engineer: Daniele Chiarello and Nicola Ferro. 60+ minutes. Summit 386. OK, if you like the Canadian Brass you will like this...

Joplin, Scott: Piano Rags.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Joplin, Scott: Piano Rags. Alexander Peskanov, piano. Recorded in 2002, at the Performing Arts Center, Country Day School, Ontario, Canada. Engineer: Norbert Kraft. 65+ minutes. Naxos 8.559114. Joplin is a joy to listen to (my wife hauled...

Ravel, Maurice: Miroirs and Sonatine; Sergei Rachmaninoff: Etudes-Tableaux.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Ravel, Maurice: Miroirs and Sonatine; Sergei Rachmaninoff: Etudes-Tableaux. Robert Hamilton, piano. Recorded ca. 2004; location not listed. Engineer: Mark Fuksman. 74+ minutes. Summit 382. (The actual album title is Robert Hamilton, Miroirs.)...

Sibelius, Jean: Tone Poems.(Tafelmusik, from parts I and II)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Sibelius, Jean: Tone Poems. The Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson. Recorded in 1977, at City Hall, Glasgow. Recompiled in 1985, and digitally remastered and re-released in 2004. Engineer: Brian Couzens. 110 minutes...

Widor, Charles-Marie: Organ Symphony Number 4; Alexandre Guilmant: Organ Sonata Number 1; Jean Roger-Ducasse: Pastorale in F. Joseph Nolan, performing on the organ at St. Ouen, Rouen, France.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Widor, Charles-Marie: Organ Symphony Number 4; Alexandre Guilmant: Organ Sonata Number 1; Jean Roger-Ducasse: Pastorale in F. Joseph Nolan, performing on the organ at St. Ouen, Rouen, France. Recorded in 2003. Engineer not listed. ASV 1175. ...

Bartok: The Piano Concertos.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Bartok: The Piano Concertos. Krystian Zimerman, Leif Ove Andsnes, and Helene Grimaud, piano; Pierre Boulez, Chicago Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, and London Symphonies Orchestras. DG B0003885-02. I know my colleagues here at the magazine...

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3. Martha Argerich, piano; Claudio Abbado, Mahler Chamber Orchestra. DG B0003398-02. Listening to Argerich play anything is a joy. She still possesses the ability to communicate the most ethereal and...

Britten: Simple Symphony; Temporal Variations; A Charm of Lullabies; Lachrymae; Suite on English Folk Tunes.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Britten: Simple Symphony; Temporal Variations; A Charm of Lullabies; Lachrymae; Suite on English Folk Tunes. Steuart Bedford, Northern Sinfonia. Naxos 8.557205. There probably isn't another conductor alive who knows the works of Benjamin...

Bruch: Scottish Fantasy; Serenade.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Bruch: Scottish Fantasy; Serenade. Maxim Fedotov, violin; Dmitry Yablonsky, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos 8.557395. Like so many other writers and composers, Max Bruch (1838-1920) was mildly annoyed that people remembered him almost...

Chabrier: Espana; Suite Pastorale; Fete Polonaise; Gwendoline Overture; Danse Slave; Joyeuse Marche; Bourree Fantasque; Roussel: Suite in F. Paul Paray, Detroit Symphony Orchestra.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Chabrier: Espana; Suite Pastorale; Fete Polonaise; Gwendoline Overture; Danse Slave; Joyeuse Marche; Bourree Fantasque; Roussel: Suite in F. Paul Paray, Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Mercury SACD 475 6183. Better late than never. My catching...

Debussy: Prelude a l'Apres-midi; Nocturnes; La Mer; Berceuse heroique.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Debussy: Prelude a l'Apres-midi; Nocturnes; La Met; Berceuse heroique. Paavo Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80617. Under most other circumstances I would have to say Telarc's sound on this recording is too ultrasmooth, but...

Entre Amigos.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Entre Amigos. Rosa Passos and Ron Carter. Chesky SACD291. I have to admit I'm not a big fan of jazz or too much pop, so when this new SACD release arrived from Chesky Records, I wasn't entirely thrilled. However, it had been quite a long...

Franck: Symphony in D minor; Lalo: Symphony in G minor; Faure: Pavane.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Franck: Symphony in D minor; Lalo: Symphony in G minor; Faure: Pavane. Sir Thomas Beecham, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise. EMI 7243-5-62949-2. Until the rerelease of this disc, my reference standard for the Franck...

Mozart: Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"; Schubert: Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished.".(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Mozart: Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"; Schubert: Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished." Eugen Jochum, Boston Symphony Orchestra. DG 469 798-2. In 1973 Eugen Jochum recorded the Mozart "Jupiter" Symphony and the Schubert "Unfinished" Symphony on an LP...

Orff: Carmina Burana.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Orff: Carmina Burana. Sally Matthews, soprano; Lawrence Brownlee, tenor; Christian Gerhaher, baritone; Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Berlin Radio Chorus. EMI 7243-557888-2. Since moving to the conductorship of the Berlin...

Pachelbel's Canon and Other Baroque Favorites.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Pachelbel's Canon and Other Baroque Favorites. Andrew Parrott, Taverner Players and Choir; Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra. Virgin Classics 72435-57876-2. The 1980s saw a spurt of popularity in the period-instruments movement, and...

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet. Andre Previn, London Symphony Orchestra. EMI 7243-5-86254-2 (2-disc set). I suppose all classical-music lovers have their favorite conductors and maybe even their favorite orchestras, which often constitute a...

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody. Lang Lang, piano; Valery Gergiev, Orchestra of the Marinsky Theatre. DG B000390202. Yet another live recording. Ho-hum. I'm not sure why DG, EMI, and others are so keen lately on...

Rozsa: Three Choral Suites: Ben-Hur, Quo Vadis, and King of Kings.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Rozsa: Three Choral Suites: Ben-Hur, Quo Vadis, and King of Kings. Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Telarc CD80631. Miklos Rozsa was to film music of the 1950s and '60s what Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, and...

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major "The Trout"; Variations on "Trockne Blumen"; Litanei auf das Fest aller Seelen.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major "The Trout"; Variations on "Trockne Blumen"; Litanei auf das Fest aller Seelen. Braley, Capucon, Causse, Capucon, and Posch. Virgin Classics 7243-5-45563-2. Can there ever be too many recordings of Franz...

Johann Strauss I, vol. 5.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Johann Strauss I: Vol. 5. Christian Pollack, Slovak Sinfonieta Zilina. Marco Polo 8.225281. Marco Polo continue on their way toward recording everything the Strauss family ever wrote. This is the fifth edition of music by the elder Strauss...

Steiner: King Kong.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2005... Steiner: King Kong. William Stromberg, Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.557799. When some of us think of the original 1933 movie "King Kong," it's of the gigantic gates that lead into the big ape's domain or the titanic struggle between...