Sensible Sound articles from June 1999

Sensible Sound archives from June 1999

RAMBLINGS.
June 1, 1999... Welcome to Issue 75, an issue with an emphasis on two aspects of the audio hobby that actually make a big difference in how music sounds in your home: loudspeakers and recordings. Lest we forget things that really don't make much difference in...

FORUM.(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 1999... And It's One... Just a note to thank you for a very personal and informative Issue 72, Staff Picks..." Our Favorite Things: Recordings." I have read like Staff Picks elsewhere but this time the fun, picks, and rationales were not only...

Cables: Perception v. Reality.(loudspeaker cables)
June 1, 1999... Will the nonsense being perpetrated about the audible and measurable properties of audiophile loudspeaker cables never cease? How many competent electrical/electronic engineers and physicists must speak out on the subject before audiophiles...

Placebos, Nostrums, and Worse.(unnecessary CD player products and procedures)
June 1, 1999... When the compact disc first appeared, I naively believed that the days of the audio-system "diddler" were numbered and that the era of the "happy music lover on a shoestring budget" was about to dawn. During audio's "bronze age" (usually...

True Dimensional Sound Passive Audiophile Harmonic Enhancement System.(Evaluation)
June 1, 1999... Manufacturer: True Dimensional Sound, Inc., 1450 Madruga Ave., Suite 404, Coral Gables, FL 33146; 305/668-9198; www.tdsaudio.com Price: $395 Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewers: Bruce W. Vigon, William C. Heck, and Karl W. Nehring...

Arcam Alpha 9.(Evaluation)
June 1, 1999... Distributor: Audiophile Systems, Ltd., 8709 Castle Park Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46256; 888/272-2658 Price: $1,599 Source: Distributor loan Reviewer: Karl W. Nehring In 1996 Arcam introduced a range of upgradeable CD players,...

Parasound CDP-2000 Ultra.(Evaluation)(Brief Article)
June 1, 1999... Manufacturer: Parasound Products, Inc., 950 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111; 415/ 397-7100 Price: $1,495 Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Karl W. Nehring Three years ago, Parasound introduced a $3,500, two-box CD...

Atlantic Technology System 270.(audio system)(Evaluation)
June 1, 1999... Manufacturer: Atlantic Technology, 343 Vanderbilt Ave., Norwood, MA 02062; 781/ 762-6300; www.atlantictechnology.com Price: 271LR speakers, $599/pr; 272PBM subwoofer, $799; 273C center-channel, $449; 274SR surrounds, $549/pr; complete...

Ohm Walsh 100 Mk2.(speakers)(Evaluation)
June 1, 1999... Manufacturer: Ohm Acoustics Corp., 241 Taaffe Pl., Brooklyn, NY 12205-4383; 718/ 783-1111 Price: $1,400/pr Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Gregory Koster My basic criterion for reviewing speakers is whether I would buy...

Paradigm Monitor 5.(loudspeaker)(Evaluation)
June 1, 1999... Distributor: Audiostream, MPO Box 2410, Niagara Falls, NY, 14302; 905/632-0180; www.paradigm.ca Price: $500/pr Source: Distributor loan Reviewer: James T. Frane The Monitor 5 loudspeaker fits right in the middle of Paradigm's...

Polk Audio RT400 and RT600.(speakers)(Evaluation)
June 1, 1999... Manufacturer: Polk Audio, 5601 Metro Dr., Baltimore, MD 21215; 800/377-7655 Price: RT/400, $460/pr; RT/600, $680/pr Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Joseph M. Cierniak We audiophiles are completely out of step with the...

PSB Alpha A/V, SubSonic 1, Mini, and Mite.(speakers)(Evaluation)
June 1, 1999... Manufacturer: PSB Speakers, a member of the Lenbrook Group, 633 Granite Ct., Pickering, Ontario, Canada L1W 3K1; 888/772-0000; www.psbspeakers.com Distributor: PSB Speakers of America, 6 Merchant St., Sharon, MA 02067; 888-772-0000 ...

Sunfire True Subwoofer Signature.(Evaluation)
June 1, 1999... Manufacturer: Sunfire Corporation, P.O. Box 1589, Snohomish, WA 98290; 425/335-4748 Price: $1,895 Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Joseph M. Cierniak You have successfully designed and successfully manufactured (in...

Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Piano Mela Tenenbaum, violin, and Richard Kapp, piano (ESS.A.Y Recordings CD1066/67).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Piano Mela Tenenbaum, violin, and Richard Kapp, piano (ESS.A.Y Recordings CD1066/67) This two-CD set is actually part of an ambitious undertaking: ESS.A.Y Recordings is recording these sonatas in two different...

Anouar Brahem: Thimar (ECM 1641 78118-21641-2).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Anouar Brahem: Thimar (ECM 1641 78118-21641-2) Tunisian musician Anouar Brahem is a master of the oud, which is essentially an Arabic lute. Rich and resonant in tone, Brahem's oud blends well on this recording with the soprano sax and bass...

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 Saarbrucken Radio Sym. Orch./Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (Arte Nova 74321 27771 2).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 Saarbrucken Radio Sym. Orch./Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (Arte Nova 74321 27771 2) Conductor Skrowaczewski made an "audiophile" recording of Bruckner's 9th with the Minnesota Orchestra for Reference Recordings. This...

Bill Bruford with Ralph Towner and Eddie Gomez: If Summer Had Its Ghosts (Discipline Global Music DGM9705).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Bill Bruford with Ralph Towner and Eddie Gomez: If Summer Had Its Ghosts (Discipline Global Music DGM9705) This is a slightly incongruous trio: King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford fronting a trio including Oregon's Ralph Towner on guitars...

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDCD 740).(Review)
June 1, 1999... John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDCD 740) This recording, originally made in 1963, has become something of a legendary cult item over the years. It was the first time that Coltrane's classic quartet made a...

Dvorak: The Complete Works for Solo Piano, Volume I Inna Poroshina, piano (ESS.A.Y Recordings CD 1059).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Dvorak: The Complete Works for Solo Piano, Volume I Inna Poroshina, piano (ESS.A.Y Recordings CD 1059) Most of us do not think of Dvorak as a composer of piano music. Aside from his "Humoresque," we may be hard-pressed to think of any of...

Jan Garbarek: Rites (ECM 1685/86).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Jan Garbarek: Rites (ECM 1685/86) This two-CD set from saxophonist Jan Garbarek comes with a discography booklet. Thumbing through it, I was shocked to realize how long Garbarek has been recording for ECM -- I mean, can Triptykon (a demo...

Knut Hamre and Steve Tibbetts: [Angstrom] (Hannibal HNCD 1438).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Knut Hamre and Steve Tibbetts: [Angstrom] (Hannibal HNCD 1438) Minnesota guitarist Steve Tibbetts has long been one of my musical heroes, not only because of his musical talents, which are many, but because of his friendly spirit and his...

John Hiatt: Slow Turning (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDCD 741).(Review)
June 1, 1999... John Hiatt: Slow Turning (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDCD 741) Hooray! MFSL has just released my favorite recording of one of my favorite performers, John Hiatt. Produced back in 1988 by Glyn Johns, this was always a pretty-good-sounding...

Charles Lloyd: Voice in the Night (ECM 1674 78118-21674-2).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Charles Lloyd: Voice in the Night (ECM 1674 78118-21674-2) Long-time readers will remember that saxophonist Charles Lloyd has had many recordings recommended in this column over the years; indeed, Lloyd's recordings on ECM have been truly...

Jacques Loussier Trio: Satie (Telarc Jazz CD-83431).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Jacques Loussier Trio: Satie (Telarc Jazz CD-83431) Pianist Jacques Loussier has been around for a long time, recording many "jazz impressions" of "classical" music, most notably the music of Bach. I have listened to several of these...

Brother Jack McDuff: Bringin' It Home (Concord Jazz CCD-4855).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Brother Jack McDuff: Bringin' It Home (Concord Jazz CCD-4855) "Brother" Jack McDuff is one of those jazz guys who seems to have been around forever -- and at 72, he is still holding his own with the younger guys. On this Concord Jazz...

The Other Ones: The Strange Remain (Arista GDCD 4062).(Review)
June 1, 1999... The Other Ones: The Strange Remain (Arista GDCD 4062) Most readers of this column probably realize that The Other Ones consists of three core members of the Grateful Dead (percussionist Mickey Hart, guitarist Bob Weir, and bassist Phil...

Two Extravaganzas: The Taliesin Orchestra: Maiden of Mysteries (Intersound 3715) and Vince Mendoza/London Symphony Orchestra: Epiphany (Zebra Acoustic Records ZA 44406).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Two Extravaganzas: The Taliesin Orchestra: Maiden of Mysteries (Intersound 3715) and Vince Mendoza/London Symphony Orchestra: Epiphany (Zebra Acoustic Records ZA 44406) Here are two CDs aimed at the crossover market, hoping to pull in...

Double Double.(Brief Article)
June 1, 1999... In this installment of Double Double, Tom Lyle and I once again take an independent listen (other than deciding on which CDs to compare, we do not discuss the recordings with each other until after we have completed our writing) to two...

Reissue Roundup: The Golden Age of American Rock `n' Roll.
June 1, 1999... All around the world, rock and roll is all they play/You can hear that juke box jumpin' all night and all through the day. (Little Richard from the song, "All Around the World," appearing in the film, The Girl Can't Help It.) If there are...

Carousel Corner: Thinking Inside the Box.
June 1, 1999... With the ascendancy of the compact disc, the recording industry's ability to gather large amounts of material into a single product has likewise risen. Box sets, once the province of specialty publishers such as the Smithsonian Institution, are...

Scoping Software: Short Takes From the Old Grab Bag.
June 1, 1999... I am becoming swamped with scads of terrific-sounding recordings, and by necessity this particular column will contain shorter reviews than usual. However, this does not mean that the recordings are less technically able than usual. It just...

Marcelo Alvarez: Bel Canto. Carlo Rizzi, Orchestra and chorus of Welsh National Opera. Sony SK 60721.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Marcelo Alvarez: Bel Canto. Carlo Rizzi, Orchestra and chorus of Welsh National Opera. Sony SK 60721. Opera lovers keep wondering from where the next great tenor is coming. They bemoan the lack of vocal resources that they feel apparently...

J.C. Bach: Symphonies Nos. 1-3, Op. 9. Anthony Halstead, the Hanover Band. CPO 999 487-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... J.C. Bach: Symphonies Nos. 1-3, Op. 9. Anthony Halstead, the Hanover Band. CPO 999 487-2. This is the third recording of J.C. Bach's music I have heard from the Hanover Band on CPO, and each time I like their stuff more. In fact, I think...

Bach: Orchestral Suite, BWV 1067; Konzert, BWV 1044; Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, BWV 1047; Telemann: Suite for Alto Recorder, Strings & Basso Continuo, TWV 55 A2. Michala Petri, recorder; Berlin Baroque Orchestra. RCA 74321-57130-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Bach: Orchestral Suite, BWV 1067; Konzert, BWV 1044; Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, BWV 1047; Telemann: Suite for Alto Recorder, Strings & Basso Continuo, TWV 55 A2. Michala Petri, recorder; Berlin Baroque Orchestra. RCA 74321-57130-2. The...

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 6 "Pastoral." Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra. EMI CDM 7243-5-66792-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 6 "Pastoral." Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra. EMI CDM 7243-5-66792-2. The story goes that when Klemperer's producer, Walter Legge, asked if he didn't think Klemperer took the Sixth Symphony's...

Cathedral Sounds: Johannes Ockeghem. Rene Clemencic Edition, Vol. 5. Rene Clemencic Consort. Arte Nova Classics 74321 56351-2.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 1, 1999... Cathedral Sounds: Johannes Ockeghem. Rene Clemencic Edition, Vol. 5. Rene Clemencic Consort. Arte Nova Classics 74321 56351-2. Here's a disc that lives up to its name. The three compositions presented, indeed, are resonant with cathedral...

Debussy: Dreams. Aldo Ciccolini, piano. EMI CD 7243-5-66753-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Debussy: Dreams. Aldo Ciccolini, piano. EMI CD 7243-5-66753-2. Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest, "We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep." But maybe Bogart said it best in The Maltese Falcon...

Dittersdorf: Sinfonias in D minor, F major, and G minor. Uwe Grodd, Failoni Orchestra. Naxos 8.553974.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Dittersdorf: Sinfonias in D minor, F major, and G minor. Uwe Grodd, Failoni Orchestra. Naxos 8.553974. This Naxos budget item is an irresistible best buy. Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf was a Viennese contemporary of Haydn and Mozart, and his...

Dvorak: Violin Concerto; Romance; Josef Suk: Fantasy. Pamela Frank, violin; Sir Charles Mackerras, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. London 289 460 316-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Dvorak: Violin Concerto; Romance; Josef Suk: Fantasy. Pamela Frank, violin; Sir Charles Mackerras, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. London 289 460 316-2. For what it's worth (and for all its popularity), I don't really think Dvorak's Violin...

Field: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3. Benjamin Frith, piano; David Haslam, Northern Sinfonia. Naxos 8.553770.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Field: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3. Benjamin Frith, piano; David Haslam, Northern Sinfonia. Naxos 8.553770. Here is yet another example of what half a sawbuck will get you if you invest it wisely. The sound of this Naxos recording is as...

Glazunov: The Seasons; Scenes de Ballet; Scene Dansante. Alexander Anissimov, Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.553915.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Glazunov: The Seasons; Scenes de Ballet; Scene Dansante. Alexander Anissimov, Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.553915. For the past 20 years my favorite recording of Glazunov's The Seasons has been Yevgeny Svetlanov's with the...

Haydn: String Quartets "Prussian," Op. 50, Nos. 1-3. Kodaly Quartet. Naxos 8.553983.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Haydn: String Quartets "Prussian," Op. 50, Nos. 1-3. Kodaly Quartet. Naxos 8.553983. Haydn numbered 83 string quartets among his compositions, and while these three pieces are not among his most popular, they are certainly among his most...

Haydn: Cello Concertos in C and D; "Lo speziale" (Overture). Han-Na Chang, cello; Giuseppe Sinopoli, Sachsische Staatskapelle Dresden. EMI CDC 7243 5 56535 2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Haydn: Cello Concertos in C and D; "Lo speziale" (Overture). Han-Na Chang, cello; Giuseppe Sinopoli, Sachsische Staatskapelle Dresden. EMI CDC 7243 5 56535 2. This Haydn disc did double duty in its several weeks of evaluation prior to my...

Instrument of the Devil.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Instrument of the Devil. Rachel Barton, violin; Patrick Sinozich, piano. Cedille CDR 900000 041. Some short time ago Rachel Barton recorded a Cedille disc of Handel violin sonatas that quickly became one of my favorite albums, sonically...

Milhaud: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4. Alun Francis, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Basel. CPO 999 539-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Milhaud: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4. Alun Francis, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Basel. CPO 999 539-2. Darius Milhaud's First Symphony was composed at the beginning of the Second World War, and while it does not have a set program, one can infer...

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3. Bernd Glemser, piano. Antoni Wit, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.550810.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3. Bernd Glemser, piano. Antoni Wit, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.550810. No one is likely to mistake pianist Bernd Glemser for Argerich, Horowitz, Cliburn, Ashkenazy, or Janis,...

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tale of Tsar Saltan, suite; May Night, overture; Russian Easter Festival Overture. Ernest Ansermet, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Classic Compact Discs CSCD 6012.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tale of Tsar Saltan, suite; May Night, overture; Russian Easter Festival Overture. Ernest Ansermet, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Classic Compact Discs CSCD 6012. Glittering highs, wide dynamics, solid impact, and...

Rossini: Il Turco in Italia. Cecilia Bartoli, Michele Pertusi, Alessandro Corbelli, Laura Polverelli; Riccardo Chailly, Orchestra and choir of the Teatro alia Scala di Milano. London 289 458 924-2 (2-disc set).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Rossini: Il Turco in Italia. Cecilia Bartoli, Michele Pertusi, Alessandro Corbelli, Laura Polverelli; Riccardo Chailly, Orchestra and choir of the Teatro alia Scala di Milano. London 289 458 924-2 (2-disc set). Il Turco in Italia (1814) is...

Schubert: Symphony No. 9; Song of the Spirits Over the Waters. John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. DG 289 457-648-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Schubert: Symphony No. 9; Song of the Spirits Over the Waters. John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. DG 289 457-648-2. Schubert's Great C-major Symphony was something of a departure for him, in size, scope,...

Solti -- The Last Recording. Bartok: Cantata profana; Weiner: Serenade for small orchestra; Kodaly: Psalmus hungaricus. Sir Georg Solti, Budapest Festival Orchestra and choirs. London 289 458 929-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Solti -- The Last Recording. Bartok: Cantata profana; Weiner: Serenade for small orchestra; Kodaly: Psalmus hungaricus. Sir Georg Solti, Budapest Festival Orchestra and choirs. London 289 458 929-2. This disc may be billed as Solti's last...

Strauss: Ein Heldenleben; Der Rosenkavalier waltzes. Mark Gorenstein, Russian Symphony Orchestra. PopeMusic PMG2012-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Strauss: Ein Heldenleben; Der Rosenkavalier waltzes. Mark Gorenstein, Russian Symphony Orchestra. PopeMusic PMG2012-2. PopeMusic is the brainchild of producer/engineer Gene Pope, who records with the instincts of a born audiophile. Using...

Russian Pops.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Russian Pops. Mark Gorenstein, Russian Symphony Orchestra. PopeMusic PMG2015-2. PopeMusic is the brainchild of producer/engineer Gene Pope, who records with the instincts of a born audiophile. Using state-of-the-art equipment from Nagra,...

Taieb: The Alchemist's Symphony. Various soloists; Lucas Richman, Paramount Pictures Studio Orchestra. RCA 09026-63157-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Taieb: The Alchemist's Symphony. Various soloists; Lucas Richman, Paramount Pictures Studio Orchestra. RCA 09026-63157-2. French composer Walter Taieb describes his musical style as "Neo-Melodism." I think that means he is among a growing...

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, complete; Swan Lake, suite. Maurice Abravanel, Utah Symphony Orchestra. Vanguard Ultra Analog SVC-52/53 (2-disc set).(Review)
June 1, 1999... Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, complete; Swan Lake, suite. Maurice Abravanel, Utah Symphony Orchestra. Vanguard Ultra Analog SVC-52/53 (2-disc set). Even in a crowded field of fine alternatives, it's hard not to like this 1961 recording of...

Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture; Capriccio Italien; Marche Slav. Kenneth Alwyn, London Symphony Orchestra and the Band of the Grenadier Guards. Classic Compact Discs CSCD 6038.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture; Capriccio Italien; Marche Slav. Kenneth Alwyn, London Symphony Orchestra and the Band of the Grenadier Guards. Classic Compact Discs CSCD 6038. Classic Compact Discs is still one of the few companies issuing...

Symphonic Battle Scenes: Music of Tchaikovsky (1812, Capriccio italien); Beethoven (Wellington's Victory); Liszt (Battle of the Huns). Lorin Maazel, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. RCA 09026-68471-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Symphonic Battle Scenes: Music of Tchaikovsky (1812, Capriccio italien); Beethoven (Wellington's Victory); Liszt (Battle of the Huns). Lorin Maazel, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. RCA 09026-68471-2. Everything about this program...

Telemann: Concertos for Woodwind Instruments. Camerata Koln. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77367-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Telemann: Concertos for Woodwind Instruments. Camerata Koln. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77367-2. I have often wondered why Deutsche Harmonia Mundi have restricted themselves principally to music of the Baroque period, but I shouldn't...

Verdi: Il Trovatore. Price, Domingo, Milnes, Cossotto; Zubin Mehta, New Philharmonia Orchestra. RCA 74321-39504-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Verdi: Il Trovatore. Price, Domingo, Milnes, Cossotto; Zubin Mehta, New Philharmonia Orchestra. RCA 74321-39504-2. Was there ever written a more tune-filled tragic opera than Il Trovatore, and was it ever recorded with four finer voices...

Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Rachel Barton, violin; Daniel Hege, Encore Chamber Orchestra. Cedille Records CDR 90000 035. You have to give Cedille credit for coming up with a unique album idea. These...

The Virtuosity of Earl Wild.(Review)
June 1, 1999... The Virtuosity of Earl Wild. Ivory Classics 70901 (2-disc set). If ever there was an aptly named album, this is it. Every work in the collection is a showpiece for piano, and there is no better showman of the piano than Earl Wild. The 28...

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons. Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. London Penguin Classics 289 460 613-2.(Review)
June 1, 1999... Vivaldi: The Four Seasons. Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. London Penguin Classics 289 460 613-2. As you no doubt know, the PolyGram group (London, DG, Philips) have been issuing a series of discs in a new "Penguin...