Sensible Sound articles from September 2000

Sensible Sound archives from September 2000

RAMBLINGS.
September 1, 2000... Welcome to Issue #82, which features our annual compilation of "Staff Picks" articles from most of our regular contributors. Not only do you get some good advice about equipment, but also you get the opportunity to get to know our contributors...

FORUM.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2000... "Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Laura..." Mr. Ferstler needs a good slap. In the Polk RMDS system review, Ferstler states "he doesn't know why AM is included in stereo systems any longer." What cave has he been in during the '90s? AM...

SURVEYING THE SOUNDSCAPE.(2001 Consumer Electronics Show)(Column)
September 1, 2000... Packin' Some Protection: I got off to a bad start as I headed for this year's Consumer Electronics Show. During the month before, in one or another trip to the gym, the electronics module for my Koss QuietZone noise-cancelling headphones went...

Comparing, Comparing, and Comparing.(methods of evaluating audio equipment)
September 1, 2000... Audio enthusiasts who "compare" amplifiers, speaker wires, and interconnects to other amplifiers, speaker wires, and interconnects are pretty much divided into two schools of thought. Without trying to be too insulting, I will call the first of...

Acoustic Research Phantom 8.3.(speaker system)(Evaluation)
September 1, 2000... Manufacturer: Acoustic Research, 327 Stone Road, Benecia, CA 94510; 800/969-1748 Price: $1250/pr; MS1/8 stands, $300/pair Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Howard Ferstler The Phantom 8.3 is a very unusual speaker, and I am...

Audio Video Multimedia Solutions Home Theater System.(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
September 1, 2000... Manufacturer: Audio Video Multimedia Solutions, 17 Saddleback Court, O'Fallon, MO 63366;888/803-3770; website: http: www.avmsolutions.com Price: AV-1, $900/pair; AVC, $750; AV-SUB, $1,100. Complete system, $3,650 Source: Manufacturer...

Ohm Walsh 200 Mk-2.(speaker system)(Evaluation)
September 1, 2000... Manufacturer:. Ohm Acoustics Corporation, 241 Taaffe Place, Brooklyn, NY 11205; 800/ 783-1553 Price: $2,595 to $2,995/pr, depending on finish Source: Manufacturer Loan Reviewer:. Bruce W. Vigon Enigma: "Something hard to...

Polk FX-500: A Correction.(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2000... My thanks to reader Dr. Akhil Lal (whose letter appears in the Forum section on page 6 of this issue) for his very kind words about my work, and even more for catching the subtraction error I made with the plotting software. Figure 1 displays...

STAFF PICKS.(audio equipment)
September 1, 2000... In Issue 63 we published our first "Staff Picks" compilation, following it up in Issues 65 and 67 with additions by contributors who were a bit tardy in getting their lists together. A year later, in Issue 69, we assembled more complete and...

Monty Alexander: Monty Meets Sly and Robbie (Telarc Jazz CD-83494).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Monty Alexander: Monty Meets Sly and Robbie (Telarc Jazz CD-83494) Although pianist Monty Alexander's previous Telarc effort, a tribute to the music of Bob Marley, had at times a cocktail jazz feel to it, it was musically entertaining. This...

Bach: Mass in B Minor Boston Baroque/Martin Pearlman (Telarc 2CD-80517).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Bach: Mass in B Minor Boston Baroque/Martin Pearlman (Telarc 2CD-80517) Audiophiles still tend to expect grandiose sonic blockbusters from Telarc. For the B Minor Mass, for example, you might be expecting a large chorus and...

Bach: Goldberg Variations Les Violins du Roy/Bernard Labadie (Dorian xCD-90281).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Bach: Goldberg Variations Les Violins du Roy/Bernard Labadie (Dorian xCD-90281) There are times when I believe I would be satisfied to hear only the music of Bach for the rest of my life. Adding to the variety of Bach's music is the...

Bach: Goldberg Variations Jacques Loussier Trio (Telarc Jazz CD-83479).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Bach: Goldberg Variations Jacques Loussier Trio (Telarc Jazz CD-83479) This is not quite straight Bach, nor is it quite straight jazz; however, it can be enjoyed as either. Pianist Jacques Loussier and his bandmates Benoit Donoyer de...

Bach: Lute Suites Paul Galbraith (Delos DE 3258).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Bach: Lute Suites Paul Galbraith (Delos DE 3258) The amazing Paul Galbraith and his 8-string guitar are back again, this time bringing us some lute suites by Bach in crystal-clear sound captured by Delos's Jeff Mee. Bach's music sounds so...

Bartok: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra; Eotvos: Replica, for Viola and Orchestra; Kurtag: Movement for Viola and Orchestra Kim Kashkashian, viola/Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra/Peter Eotvos, conductor (ECM New Series 289 465 420-2).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Bartok: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra; Eotvos: Replica, for Viola and Orchestra; Kurtag: Movement for Viola and Orchestra Kim Kashkashian, viola/Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra/Peter Eotvos, conductor (ECM New Series 289 465 420-2) ...

Brazilian Nights (Green Hill GHD51122).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Brazilian Nights (Green Hill GHD51122) Here's another of those discs that just showed up in my mailbox one day from a label I've never heard of, featuring musicians that for the most part I've never heard of, but turning out to be...

Ravi Coltrane: From the Round Box (RCA Victor 74321 73923-2).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Ravi Coltrane: From the Round Box (RCA Victor 74321 73923-2) This new release is somewhat more intense than Ravi Coltrane's debut recording, as might be inferred from the list of musicians this time around: Ralph Alessi on trumpet and...

Djam Karet: Suspension and Displacement (Cuneiform Records Rune 129).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Djam Karet: Suspension and Displacement (Cuneiform Records Rune 129) The music on this disc was originally recorded and released in 1991; Cuneiform Records has now made this and a hard-rock recording the band made at the same time (Burning...

Ronnie Earl: Healing Time (Telarc Blues CD 83490).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Ronnie Earl: Healing Time (Telarc Blues CD 83490) Ronnie Earl seems to possess a trait rarely to be found among blues guitarists these days-taste. This all-instrumental session does not try to impress with pyrotechnics; rather, it impresses...

Peter Finger: Open Strings (Acoustic Music Records 013429 111734).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Peter Finger: Open Strings (Acoustic Music Records 013429 111734) Many acoustic guitar recordings of original compositions sound like old folk licks all gussied up, but this set by Peter Finger sounds fresh and original, as if the guitar...

The Hilliard Ensemble: In Paradisum (ECM New Series 1653 289 457 851-2).(Review)
September 1, 2000... The Hilliard Ensemble: In Paradisum (ECM New Series 1653 289 457 851-2) The amazing vocal interplay of the Hilliard Ensemble brings to life this 17th century polyphony of Victoria and Palestrina. There may be some readers who are thinking,...

Hohvaness: Spirit of Trees; Concerto for Harp and String Orchestra; Upon Enchanted Ground; Sonata for Harp; The Garden of Adonis Yolanda Kondonassis, harp/I Fiamminghi/Rudolf Werthen, conductor (Telarc CD-80530).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Hohvaness: Spirit of Trees; Concerto for Harp and String Orchestra; Upon Enchanted Ground; Sonata for Harp; The Garden of Adonis Yolanda Kondonassis, harp/I Fiamminghi/Rudolf Werthen, conductor (Telarc CD-80530) Armenian-American composer...

Dave Holland Quintet: Prime Directive (ECM 1698 314 547950-2).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Dave Holland Quintet: Prime Directive (ECM 1698 314 547950-2) On this release, the Dave Holland Quintet (Chris Potter, saxophones; Robin Eubanks, trombone; Steve Nelson, vibes and marimba; Billy Kilson, drums; and Dave Holland, bass) make...

Dr. John: Duke Elegant (Blue Note Records 7243 5 23220 2 2).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Dr. John: Duke Elegant (Blue Note Records 7243 5 23220 2 2) Although it seems almost sinful--and certainly politically incorrect--to admit it, I must say that I have never been much of a Duke Ellington fan. But when this CD came out, I just...

David Murray Octet: Octet Plays Trane (Justin Time JUST 131-2).(Review)
September 1, 2000... David Murray Octet: Octet Plays Trane (Justin Time JUST 131-2) Although I know it sounds like a really overworked cliche, I can only say that the first time I played this recording, I was simply blown away by the energy level exhibited by...

Respighi: Pines of Rome; Fountains of Rome; Metamorphoseon Modi XII Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Jesus Lopez-Cobos (Telarc CD-80505).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Respighi: Pines of Rome; Fountains of Rome; Metamorphoseon Modi XII Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Jesus Lopez-Cobos (Telarc CD-80505) As has come to be expected from Maestro Lopez-Cobos and his Cincinnati forces as recorded on Telarc, this...

Shostakovitch: The String Quartets (complete) Emerson String Quartet (Deutsche Grammophon 289 463 284-2, 5-CD set).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Shostakovitch: The String Quartets (complete) Emerson String Quartet (Deutsche Grammophon 289 463 284-2, 5-CD set) This 5-CD set was recorded in live performances in front of remarkably quiet audiences. The Emerson Quartet play with both...

Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Symphony of Psalms; Symphony in Three Movements Berlin Philharmonic/Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 289 457 616-2).(Review)
September 1, 2000... Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Symphony of Psalms; Symphony in Three Movements Berlin Philharmonic/Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 289 457 616-2) Although each of these compositions has some form of the word "symphony" in...

The String Quartet Tribute to R.E.M. (Vitamin CD-8517).(Review)
September 1, 2000... The String Quartet Tribute to R.E.M. (Vitamin CD-8517) No, I'm not making this up. Somebody actually produced this recording. Actually, two people produced it. Nearly two string quartets were assembled to play on it. (I say "nearly,"...

Double Double.
September 1, 2000... After a brief foray into the world of chamber music last issue, wherein Tom Lyle and I compared two recordings of the Shostakovitch String Quartet No. 8, this issue marks a return to the orchestral repertoire. We have chosen to compare for this...

Carousel Corner.(popular music)(Column)
September 1, 2000... The elemental in rock and roll is its history--brief though it may be. This month we engage in a small history lesson, from those who cite it, to those who are making it, and to those who are. Some are more self-conscious than others, some more...

Reissue Roundup: The Decca/London Sound, Part II.
September 1, 2000... (Various): Espana; Ataulfo Argenta, London Symphony, Decca 289 466 278-2 Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (Symphony of a Thousand); Sir Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony, Decca 289 460 972-2 Mendelssohn/Bruch: Violin Concerti, Scottish Fantasia for...

Scoping Software: Some Fascinating and Educational DTS Recordings.(Digital Theater Systems)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... I'll be up front with you. Just a few months back I figured that DTS (Digital Theater Systems), in spite of the company's high profile and obvious success in the world of movie-theater sound, was not long for the world of home-audio or...

Crow, Sheryl: Rockin' the Globe Live. DVD music video. Recorded ca. 1999. 83+ minutes. A&M/Image ID 8818ARDVD.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Crow, Sheryl: Rockin' the Globe Live. DVD music video. Recorded ca. 1999. 83+ minutes. A&M/Image ID 8818ARDVD. This is a very interesting disc, because it not only has a 5-channel DTS soundtrack, but also has a 5-channel Dolby Digital...

Debussy, Claude: The Children's Corner; Petite Suite. DTS compact disc. French National Radio Orchestra, conducted by Jean Martinon. Originally released in 1974; DTS remastering to 5 channels in 1998.48+ minutes. EMI/DTS 51037.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Debussy, Claude: The Children's Corner; Petite Suite. DTS compact disc. French National Radio Orchestra, conducted by Jean Martinon. Originally released in 1974; DTS remastering to 5 channels in 1998.48+ minutes. EMI/DTS 51037. This is a...

Eagles: Hell Freezes Over. DVD music video. Originally recorded in 1994; DTS remastering ca. 1998.99 minutes. Geffen 5479.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Eagles: Hell Freezes Over. DVD music video. Originally recorded in 1994; DTS remastering ca. 1998.99 minutes. Geffen 5479. An interesting thing about this release is that if you do not have a DTS decoder in your system, but you do have a...

Holst, Gustav: The Planets. DTS music video. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yoel Levi. Originally recorded in 1997; DTS remastering ca. 1998.49+ minutes long. Telarc 80466.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Holst, Gustav: The Planets. DTS music video. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yoel Levi. Originally recorded in 1997; DTS remastering ca. 1998.49+ minutes long. Telarc 80466. Note that this release is a compact disc that does not...

Mozart, W.A.: Symphony Number 40; Symphony Number 41. DTS compact disc. Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Herbert yon Karajan. Recorded in 1971; DTS remastering in 1998. 53+ minutes. EMI/DTS 51025.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Mozart, W.A.: Symphony Number 40; Symphony Number 41. DTS compact disc. Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Herbert yon Karajan. Recorded in 1971; DTS remastering in 1998. 53+ minutes. EMI/DTS 51025. This is where remastering for 5-channel...

The Police: Every Breath You Take. DTS compact disc. Compilation originally made in 1995; DTS remastering ca. 1998.50+ minutes. A&M 51053.(Review)
September 1, 2000... The Police: Every Breath You Take. DTS compact disc. Compilation originally made in 1995; DTS remastering ca. 1998.50+ minutes. A&M 51053. Although this is a fairly recent recording, the sound is just OK, and the DTS remastering job,...

Wilson, Brian: Imagination. DTS compact disc. Recorded in 1998. 39+ minutes. Giant 51018.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Wilson, Brian: Imagination. DTS compact disc. Recorded in 1998. 39+ minutes. Giant 51018. My first big objection to this disc involves the timing. I mean, it is weird that a disc recorded in 1998 would not be even 40 minutes long. This...

Bax: Symphony No. 3; The Happy Forest. David Lloyd-Jones, Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Naxos 8.553608.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Bax: Symphony No. 3; The Happy Forest. David Lloyd-Jones, Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Naxos 8.553608. Whether or not you like Bax, you're sure to appreciate the sound of this disc. It is exceedingly natural, neutral in all respects,...

Caruso 2000. The Digital Recordings. RCA 74321-69766-2.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Caruso 2000. The Digital Recordings. RCA 74321-69766-2. Here's a novelty: Enrico Caruso singing with a modern symphony orchestra in full-blown stereo. What the marvels of modern digital technology can't accomplish. RCA's nearly...

Chabrier: Espana and other orchestral works. Herve Niquet, Orchestra Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. Naxos 8.554248.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Chabrier: Espana and other orchestral works. Herve Niquet, Orchestra Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. Naxos 8.554248. This is a disc best described as "serviceable." It is perfectly adequate in every regard, sonically and interpretively, and...

Fire-Water: The Spirit of Renaissance Spain. Andrew Lawrence-King, King's Singers and the Harp Consort. RCA 09026-63519-2.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Fire-Water: The Spirit of Renaissance Spain. Andrew Lawrence-King, King's Singers and the Harp Consort. RCA 09026-63519-2. Taken on sonic grounds alone, this disc must be counted a success. RCA has seldom produced so lustrously beautiful a...

A Flemish Feast.(Review)
September 1, 2000... A Flemish Feast. Piffaro, the Renaissance Band. Archiv 457 609-2. By coincidence, on the afternoon I listened to the album Fire-Water, Music of Renaissance Spain with the King's Singers and the Harp Consort on RCA, I followed it with this...

Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall. DCC Compact Classics GZS (2)-1135/1&2 (2-disc set). With the decline or demise of hallowed old hi-fi institutions such as High Fidelity and Audio magazines and Mobile Fidelity and Sheffield Records, it's good...

Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross. Antonio Janigro, I Solisti de Zagreb. Vanguard SVC-133.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross. Antonio Janigro, I Solisti de Zagreb. Vanguard SVC-133. Haydn himself must have loved this work. He first published the orchestral version, heard here, in 1787, followed immediately by a...

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Delos DE 3248.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Mahler: Symphony No. 3. Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Delos DE 3248. I'm afraid this disc confirms my general dislike of live recordings. I can understand the desire of some conductors and some producers to record live, to...

Mahler: Symphony No. 4. Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. RCA 09026-63533-2.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Mahler: Symphony No. 4. Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. RCA 09026-63533-2. Reiner was never a strong Mahlerian, but I had always recalled his Mahler Fourth as a joyous, heartfelt affair. Maybe that's what almost thirty years can...

Mahler: Symphony No. 4. Daniele Gatti, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. RCA 75605 51345 2.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Mahler: Symphony No. 4. Daniele Gatti, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. RCA 75605 51345 2. Although by the time he wrote the Fourth Symphony Mahler had begun giving up trying to link descriptive titles to his music, he did leave us two...

Mahler: Symphony No. 4; Five Lieder. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf; Christa Ludwig; Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra. EMI Classics 7243 5 67035 2 0.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Mahler: Symphony No. 4; Five Lieder. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf; Christa Ludwig; Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra. EMI Classics 7243 5 67035 2 0. Only a couple of conductors who had actually worked with Gustav Mahler made it to the stereo...

Mahler: Symphony No. 4; Berg: 7 Early Songs. Barbara Bonney, soprano; Riccardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Decca 289 466 720-2.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Mahler: Symphony No. 4; Berg: 7 Early Songs. Barbara Bonney, soprano; Riccardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Decca 289 466 720-2. Do I need to remind you that the Fourth Symphony is Mahler's most popular? The first clue is that a...

Style of Five: Russian Folk Ensemble. Delos DE 3251.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Style of Five: Russian Folk Ensemble. Delos DE 3251. Style of Five was founded in 1993, a group of young virtuoso Russian musicians who play largely on traditional Russian folk instruments and produce some vivacious results. Their music...

Suk: Summer Tale; Fantastic scherzo. Sir Charles Mackerras, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Decca 289 466 443-2.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Suk: Summer Tale; Fantastic scherzo. Sir Charles Mackerras, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Decca 289 466 443-2. In America, Josef Suk (1874-1935) may be better known as Dvorak's son-in-law than as a musician, but in Czechoslovakia he is...

Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; The Seasons. Constantine Orbelian, Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Delos DC 3255.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; The Seasons. Constantine Orbelian, Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Delos DC 3255. The highlight of this disc is the playing of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. As the booklet note asserts, they truly perform as a...