Sensible Sound articles from September 2005

Sensible Sound archives from September 2005

Ramblings.
September 1, 2005... Welcome to Issue 105, where once again we look at some interesting equipment from both ends of the cost spectrum, including a couple of the most intriguing--and finest-sounding--speaker designs on the market. We also bring you a show report and...

Kudos Italiano.(FORUM)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I wanted to offer kudos to your potent magazine, the knowledgeable staff writers, the timely articles, and the reviews. Such features that appear issue after issue as Staff Picks- Recordings, Components, Double Double, Scoping Software, and...

Surveying the soundscape.(Delphi's MyFi satellite radio)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Radio Days: I remember fondly the Bar M western ranch set from the Marx toy company. The great thing about it was its utter completeness. It came with cowboys, animals, fencing, the ranch arch and gate, a well, trees, cacti, the ranch house,...

2005 H.E. Show.(Home Entertainment Show)
September 1, 2005... W(h)ither Home Entertainment Our Man in New York Covers The 2005 Home Entertainment Show This is the sixth Home Entertainment Show that I've covered, and I'm left with a sense of unease about the future of high fidelity sound. Twenty-five...

Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 5.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Manufacturer: Bang & Olufsen America, Inc., 780 West Dundee Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60004; 847/5904900; www.bang-olufsen.com Price: $18,000/pr Source: Manufacturer loan A Variety of Goals: What kind of dispersion, or...

JVC XV-N310B DVD player.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Manufacturer: JVC Company of America, 1700 Valley Road, Wayne, NJ 07470; 800/537-5722 Price: $100 (purchased for $69) Source: Reviewer purchase A short while back the mid-priced Sony DVP-S360 DVD player in my main system, a unit...

Linkwitz Lab "Orion" loudspeaker.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Manufacturer: Linkwitz Lab, 15 Prospect Lane, Corte Madera, CA 94925; www.linkwitzlab.com Price: Orion loudspeaker system, $5300.00 the pair (Complete with electronic crossover/signal processor and cables). Kit versions available in...

Marantz SA8260 multi-channel SACD/CD player.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Manufacturer: Marantz America, Inc. 1100 Maplewood Dr. Itasca, IL 60143; 630/741-0229; www.marantz.com Price: $1,099 Source: Manufacturer loan The first SACD/CD player I owned was a relatively low-cost, second-generation...

Odyssey Design Lorelei speakers, Tempest preamp, and Stratos power amp.
September 1, 2005... Manufacturer: Odyssey Design, 5883 North Victoria Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46228; 317-299-5578; www.odysseyaudio.com Price: Lorelei speakers, $2,700/pr; Tempest preamp, $1,075; Stratos power amp, $1,275; Groneberg cables, $500; Complete...

More not than jazz.(Berio: Orchestral transciritpions)(Milhaud: La Creation du monde, Le Boeuf sur le toit, Suite provencale)(Prokofieff: Lieutenant Kijd, Symphonic Suite Stravinsky)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Berio: Orchestral transciritpions from Bach, Boccherini, Brahms, Mozart, Purcell, and Schubert Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi/ Riccardo Chailly (Decca 476 2830) The first selection is a 62-second romp, a rendition of a...

Double double.(Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out )(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... My home does not have air conditioning, so it is hard to sit and listen carefully to a Mahler symphony in the middle of the summer--lighter fare is called for. So, this time around Tom Lyle and I are eschewing the heavy classics and turning our...

Carousel corner.(THE MUSIC)(recordings)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... This issue we have an eclectic bunch--some classics, one clunker, but as always, rock'n'roll. Well, almost. We have both the new Beck (Guero) and Coldplay (X&Y), two utterly different approaches to recycling rock's heritage with two entirely...

Reissue roundup.(Brothers In Arms, 20th anniversary ed.)(Cameo Parkway 1957-1967)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Dire Straits: Brothers In Arms Twentieth Anniversary Edition SACD; Vertigo 9871498 (UK import) Not so many years ago I reviewed the lion's share of the Dire Straits catalog when it became available as higher bit-rate CD reissues. I...

Scoping software.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... As with my reviews in the previous issue, this column will be split into two sections: (1) sometimes lengthy SACD surround sound evaluations and (2) somewhat shorter standard compact disc reviews. As I noted with that first series of...

Baron, Christy: Retrospective.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Baron, Christy: Retrospective. A compendium recorded at several locations, starting in 1997. Engineers: Bob Katz, Barry Wolifson, and Nicholas Prout. 61+ minutes. Chesky SACD 269. OK, this whole light-jazz vocal disc is clean as can be,...

Chesky, David: Area 31 (including The Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; The Girl From Guatemala; The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra).(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Chesky, David: Area 31 (including The Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; The Girl From Guatemala; The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra). Anthony Aibel, conducting an ensemble that includes soloists Tom Chiu, Wonjung Kim, and Jeffrey Khaner....

Franzetti, Carlos: The Jazz Kamerata.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Franzetti, Carlos: The Jazz Kamerata (plays the music of Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett, and others). Recorded in 2005; location not listed. Engineers: Barry Wolifson and Nicholas Prout. 60+ minutes. Chesky SACD 287. I first tried...

K, Sara: Play on Words.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... K, Sara: Play on Words. Recorded in 1993, at Mastersound Studios, Queens, New York; remastered to surround in 2004. Engineers: Bob Katz, Nicholas Prout, and Barry Wolifson. 46+ minutes. Chesky SACD 278. This is another SACD release that...

Mann, Herbie (and his ensemble): Caminho de Casa.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Mann, Herbie (and his ensemble): Caminho de Casa. Recorded ca. 1990, with the location not indicated; remastered to surround ca. 2004. Engineers: Bob Katz, Nicholas Prout, and Barry Wolifson. 53+ minutes. Chesky SACD 280. I am not exactly...

Passos, Rosa, and Ron Carter: Entre Amigos.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Passos, Rosa, and Ron Carter: Entre Amigos. Recorded in 2003; location not indicated. Engineers: Barry Wolifson and Nicholas Prout. 51+ minutes. Chesky SACD 291. This low-pressure Brazilian music, with its American jazz instrumental...

Atlantic Brass Quintet: 5 Chairs.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Atlantic Brass Quintet: 5 Chairs. (Music of Anthony Holborne, Oskar Bohme, Marti Epstein, Claudio Monteverdi, Alvin Etler, and Ray Luke.) Recorded in 2003, at the Louisiana State University recital hall. Engineers: Gregory Squires and Richard...

Brahms, Johannes: Piano Quintet.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Brahms, Johannes: Piano Quintet, Op. 34. The Leipziger Streichquartett; Andreas Staier, piano. Recorded in 2002, at Furstliche Reitbahn, Bad Arolsen. Engineer: Friedrich W. Rodding. 39 minutes. MD&G 307 1218. Interestingly, this work...

Combs, Larry and Eddie Daniels: Crossing the Line.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Combs, Larry and Eddie Daniels: Crossing the Line. Recorded ca. 2004, at Bennett-Gordon Hall, Ravinia, Highland Park, Illinois. Engineer: Eric Arunas. 70+ minutes. Summit 1022. This is an interesting jazz and classical mix, with music by...

The Sai Ghose Trio: E-Motion.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... The Sai Ghose Trio: E-Motion. Recorded in 2003, at PBS Studios, Westwood, Massachusetts. Engineer: Peter Kontrimas. 58+ minutes. Summit 399. Although the group performs nominally as a jazz trio (and did so in a review of their India...

The Tony Monaco Trio: Fiery Blues.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... The Tony Monaco Trio: Fiery Blues, with Willie Pooch, vocals. Recorded in 2004, at Columbus Sound Recording Studio, Galena, Ohio. Engineer: Tony Monaco. 75+ minutes. Summit 425. This is good, solid jazz, with plenty of blues style with some...

Mozart, W.A.: Piano Concerto 20 and Piano Concerto 23.(Two-Channel Releases)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Mozart, W.A.: Piano Concerto 20 and Piano Concerto 23. Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra, with John Gibbons, fortepiano. Recorded in 2001 (#23) and 2002 (#20), at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Engineer: Tom Knab. 57+...

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6. Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik. Analekta AN 2 9831. Beethoven wrote both his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies in 1808 and premiered them together at a concert that any music lover today would give his right arm to...

Chadwick: Symphony No. 2; Symphonic Sketches.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Chadwick: Symphony No. 2; Symphonic Sketches. Theodore Kuchar, National Radio Symphony of Ukraine. Naxos 8.559213. It's been said that around the turn of the twentieth century George Whitefield Chadwick was America's most-prominent...

The Chieftains: The Long Black Veil.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... The Chieftains: The Long Black Veil. Mobile Fidelity Ultradisc II UDCD 762. As I've said before, it's good to have Mo-Fi back. There was a time there I'd thought we had lost them forever. And not only are they back (albeit at a different...

Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B minor; Bruch: Kol Nidrei; Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B minor; Bruch: Kol Nidrei; Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme. Janos Starker, cello; Antal Dorati, London Symphony Orchestra. Mercury SACD 475 6608. I've always thought of Starker's interpretation of...

Enesco: Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1; Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies for Orchestra Nos. 1-6.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Enesco: Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1; Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies for Orchestra Nos. 1-6. Antal Dorati, London Symphony Orchestra. Mercury SACD 475 6185. There is no end of recordings of these popular Rhapsodies for Orchestra, but among the...

Fennell Conducts Sousa.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Fennell Conducts Sousa. Frederick Fennell, Eastman Wind Ensemble. Mercury SACD 475 6182. Conductor Frederick Fennell's recordings of John Philip Sousa marches from 1960 and 1961 have pretty much been in a class by themselves for nearly...

Mahler: Symphony No. 8.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Mahler: Symphony No. 8. Simon Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Chorus, and Youth Chorus; London Symphony Chorus; Toronto Children's Chorus. EMI 7243 5 57945-2. I suppose Mahler's works contain enough varied and eccentric...

Mozart: Overtures.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Mozart: Overtures. Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. EMI 7243 5 85060 2. Time is a funny thing. When you're a kid, you want it to go by in a hurry so you can grow up fast. When you're an adult, you'd prefer it...

Myslivecek: Symphonies & Overtures.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Myslivecek: Symphonies & Overtures. Michi Gaigg, L'Orfeo Barockorchester. CPI 777 050-2. What do you mean you've never heard of Josef Myslivecek? He was a contemporary (1737-1781) of Wolfgang Mozart, a composer who came from Prague to...

Offenbach: Gaite Parisienne; Waldteufel: Waltzes.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Offenbach: Gaite Parisienne; Waldteufel: Waltzes. Manuel Rosenthal; Willi Boskovsky; Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI 7243 5 85066 2. It'll be the best eight bucks you spent in a long time. This budget issue from EMI has the...

Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol, Russian Easter Overture, Le Coq d'Or Suite; Borodin Polovtsian Dances.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol, Russian Easter Overture, Le Coq d'Or Suite; Borodin Polovtsian Dances. Antal Dorati, London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Mercury SACD 475 6194. Much of the material here dates from the earliest days of...

Rossini: Overtures.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Rossini: Overtures. Pierino Gamba, London Symphony Orchestra. JVC JVCXR-0229-2. After JVC's having remastered so many old recordings by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony, the first thing I wondered when I learned about this present...

The Ring Two. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... The Ring Two. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Hans Zimmer, Henning Lohner, and Martin Tillman. Decca B0004405-02. The Ring was a nifty little horror movie from 2002, but by all accounts its sequel, 2005's The Ring Two, didn't measure...

Stravinsky: The Firebird, Petrushka.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Stravinsky: The Firebird; Petrushka. Robert Craft, Philharmonia Orchestra. Naxos SACD 6.110081. The benefits of this issue are that you get both the Firebird and Petrushka ballets complete, some seventy-nine minutes' worth of music, on a...

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4. Valery Gergiev, Vienna Philharmonic. Philips B0004113-2. Following up on his highly acclaimed account of the Tchaikovsky Fifth, released in 1999, comes his rendition of the Fourth Symphony, recorded in 2002 but...

Trumpet Concertos.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Trumpet Concertos. Maurice Andre, trumpet. Riccardo Muti, Philharmonia Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras, English Chamber Orchestra; Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI Classics 7243-5-62947-2-1. Maurice Andre has been...

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Concertos for 3 & 4 Violins.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Concertos for 3 & 4 Violins. Christopher Warren-Green, London Chamber Orchestra. Virgin Virgo 7243 82005-2. Another issue of the Sensible Sound, another Vivaldi Four Seasons. The recordings of this perennial...

Vienna. Music of the Strausses and Weber.(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2005... Vienna. Music of the Strausses and Weber. Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. JVC JMXR24025. I love this stuff. I love waltzes, the Strausses, Fritz Reiner, and the XRCD remasterings from JVC. What I don't like is the cost. But with...