also tested

98 Pages·2017·9.62 MB·English

THE EQUIPMENT AUTHORITY
AUGJST 1996
ALSO TESTED
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GROUND LEVEL
Driver turns on Pioneer
car stereo system
featuring a 2 SI high -
current amplifier with
built-in crossover
and Variable Bass
Boost. Beverages
on dashboard
are blasted
onto the laps
of jammin'
passengers.
AUGUST 1996 VOL. 80, NO. 8
THE EQUIPMENT AUTH. RITY dreg
NHT speakers, page 68
1' 1' T 1
Marantz A/V Receiver I1 I
cnd Sonic Frontiers TUNING UP FOR SURROUND SOUND:
Mono Power Amp TIPS ON GETTING THE ROOM RIGHT Thomas R. Horall . 40
. . .
IF \I f,\ 'I' () I' ILES
(,)
MARANTZ SR -96 A/V RECEIVER Edward J. Foster 48
CONTINUUM 4.3.2 FOUR -CHANNEL AMP Edward J. Foster. 54
PHILIPS KEY MODULES
IS 5021 DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSOR Edward J. Foster . . . . 58
SONIC FRONTIERS POWER -3 MONO AMP Bascom H. King . 64
.
\t H I
I. Fs-;
(
NHT SUPER ONE SPEAKER Corey Greenberg 68
SOUNDWAVE VR-3.5 SPEAKER Ivan Berger 72
\I E \
I) F. P S
I
FAST FORE -WORD Michael Riggs 6 MACTEC EZ-CD OPENER,
LETTERS 8 AKG ACOUSTICS K 290 SURROUND HEADPHONES, AND
WHAT'S NEW 22 GALAXY AUDIO CRICKET POLARITY/CONTINUITY TESTER . 96
AUDIOCLINIC Joseph Giovanelli 26
MacTec CD
SPECTRUM Ivan Berger 32 opener,
MONDO AUDIO Ken Kessler 38 page 96
I "IiDINCS
11 !
CLASSICAL 76
ROCK/POP 82
JAZZ & BLUES 86
Cover Photographer: Bill Kouirinis Studio
Cover Equipment Marantz SR -96 A/V receiver and Sonic
Frontiers Power -3 mono power amp.
Audio Publishing, Editorial, and Advertising Offices, Alpine car
1633 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019
CD head
unit,
Subscription Inquiries:
AThuedlt page 24
Phone, 303/604-1464; fax, 303/604-7455 Bureau
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CIRCLE NO. 6 ON READER SERVICE CARD See our dealer list on page 80
FAST FORE -WORD
AUDIO
LUI FOR -IN -CHIEF
Michael Riggs
ART DIRECTOR
Cathy Cacchione
Acompany is only as good as the front of the magazine, you ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR
Linda Zerella
its people. I'm sure you've must have noticed Corey's debut
TECHNICAL EDITOR
heard that before-and you'll in our pages last month; in this Ivan Berger
MANAGING EDITOR
surely hear it again, because, issue he reviews NHT's new SuperOne Kay Blumenthal
like most clichés, it's usually loudspeaker. He, too, will be a regular ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITORS
Douglas Hyde, Scott Van Camp
true. That's why it's become contributor. Although the title of his
ASSISTANT EDITOR/MUSIC
a cliché. And in the business of usual column, "Front Row," plays on Michael Bieber
ASSISTANT EDITOR/DIRECTORY
communication, where the product a home theater theme, its compass Gerald F. McCarthy
is information or ideas conveyed will really be quite broad and by no EDITOR -AT -LARGE
Corey Greenberg
from a small group of people to means limited to that topic.
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
a much larger group, it's a way of Finally (for now), Alan Lofft is Edward J. Foster, D. B. Keele, Jr., David Lander,
Edward M. Long
life. Magazines are, in a sense, coming to our in-house staff. He CONTRIBUTING EDITORS/ARTISTS
Edward Tatnall Canby, David L. Clark, Anthony H. Cordesman,
the people who put them out. will join me and technical editor Ted Costa, John Diliberto, Frank Driggs, John Eargle,
D W Fostle, John Gatski, Joseph Giovanelli, Dawn Joniec,
So for us, our people, whether Ivan Berger in the front lines of Ken Kessler, Bascom H. King, Robert Long,
Paul Moor, Jon W. Poses, Jon R. Sank, John Sunier,
the editorial staff here in the office planning, assembling, and organizing Michael Tearson, Jon & Sally Tiven, Michael Wright
or the many regular contributors Audio's equipment and technology V.P./GROUP PUBLISHER
Tony Catalano 212/767-6061
scattered across the country, are coverage. For the last decade, Alan
V.P./ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
extremely important. I was fortunate was editor of Sound & Vision, Canada's Scott Constantine 212/767-6346
when I came to Audio nine months largest audio/video publication. His GENERAL MANAGER Greg Roperti
BUSINESS MANAGER Jonathan J. Bigham
ago to step into a great team working skill and experience will help us make PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Patti Burns
PRODUCTION MANAGER Dana L. Rubin
in a long, proud tradition. But of Audio a bigger, better, more exciting PROMOTION COORDINATOR Adele Ferraioli-Kalter
RESEARCH MANAGER Dru Ann Love
course, when you have a chance to magazine. OFFICE MANAGER Aline I. Pulley
OPERATIONS MANAGER Sylvia Correa
make things even better, you take Although these three people have AD COORDINATOR Linda Neuweiler
it. We've benefited from several very distinct approaches and outlooks, ADVERTISING
REGIONAL V.P./AD DIRECTOR, EAST COAST
such opportunities lately, which I they share with the rest of us at Audio Charles L. P. Watson 212/767-6038
REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER
want to mention briefly here. a love of music and a long-standing Christine B. Forhez 212/767-6025
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Penry Price 212/767-6077
The first was to make Ken Kessler interest in achieving the best possible MIDWEST ADVERTISING MANAGER
Jerry Stoeckigt 312/923-4804
a more regular voice in the magazine, sound reproduction. I hope you enjoy REGIONAL V.P./AD DIRECTOR, WEST COAST
Bob Meth 213/954-4831
primarily through his monthly column their work as much as I do. WESTERN MANAGER Paula Mayeri 213/954-4830
NATIONAL RECORD LABEL SALES
"Mondo Audio." As the title implies, MAG Inc. Mitch Herskowitz 212/490-1715
Cara B. Bernstein 212/490-2079
"Mondo Audio" is intended, at least CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 800/445-6066
partly, to bring a global perspective
to the table. Ken is an American
expatriate in England who manages
CHAIRMAN Daniel Filipacchi
to get around quite a bit on top PRESIDENT, CEO, AND COO David I. Pecker
EXEC. V.P. AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
of that (I first met him in Japan), Jean-Louis Ginibre
PRES., HACHETTE FILIPACCHI NEW MEDIA
making him exceptionally qualified Paul De Benedictis
SR. V.P./DIR., CORP. SALES Nicholas I. Matarazzo
to comment on hi-fi around the SR. V.P./GLOBAL ADV. Paul DuCharme
SR. V. P./CFO & TREASURER John T. O'Connor
world. Beyond that, however, he SR. V.P./MFG. & DISTRIBUTION
Anthony R. Romano
brings an interesting, individual, VP., GENERAL COUNSEL Catherine Flickinger
V.P., CIRCULATION David W. Leckey
and often entertaining point of view V.P., RESEARCH & MKTG. SERVICES Susan Smollens
V.P., COMMUNICATIONS & SPECIAL PROJECTS
to matters audiophilic. Keith Estabrook
V.P., MAGAZINE DEVELOPMENT Marcia Rubin
The same can surely be said of V.P., DIR., CREATIVE SERVICES, CORP. SALES
Lynn Chaiken
Corey Greenberg. If you take the V.P., FINANCIAL OPERATIONS Margaret Carroll
CREATIVE PRODUCTION DIR., GLOBAL MKTG.
time to read my scribbles here at Jean Pierre Labatut
SR. V.P./CORP. SALES, DETROIT H. E. (Bud) Allen
AUDIO/AUGUST 1996
6
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Author's Reply: That's funny. I don't remem-
LETTERS
ber Tony Federici disparaging my speakers,
cables, or test setup when I reviewed the
Mondial Acurus 200X3 in the February 1995
issue. But more about speakers and cable lat-
Aragon Answers Back found that on this current design the Aragon er. I'm more bothered by Federici's ground-
Dear Editor: "produced one of the best sounding top ends less (pun intended!) attack on my test setup.
Hey, I've got an idea. Let's start a magazine overall." When the first 8008ST blew a rail fuse, I
where you review audio components with a Because of this, people may start asking called Mondial to discuss the amplifier's
faulty test setup and discontinued speakers questions, so allow me to prepare you with grounding arrangement because I suspected
engineered a quarter of a century ago. What some suggested answers. oscillation. Mondial questioned whether the
speaker wire and interconnects should we Q. We commend you for finally revealing outputs had been connected to a common
use? Who cares, we'll just go to a hardware what Ed Foster listens to, but why is it that in ground, since that could cause the 8008ST to
store and get some. Now comes the fun part: previous reviews by Foster, you never gave oscillate. That was not the case; the loads
Consumers will read the reviews and actually what associated equipment he listened to dur- were independent and the levels were read by
spend their money based on what we say. ing a product review? the balanced input amplifier of the Audio
What! Audio Magazine is already doing this? A. We weren't trying to hide anything; we Precision System One. Mondial said it did
Boy, you no sooner come up with a good just don't think anyone else needed to know not have AP test equipment in its design lab,
practical joke than you find out someone else because it doesn't matter. but the factory used a System One for quality
is already doing it. Q. Why would Audio use speakers that were control and had no problem. I gave Mondial
felt compelled to write this letter to discontinued 10 years ago as a the specific settings I
I
use; it was confirmed
compliment you on your comic genius. Es- reference?
pecially the subtlety of it. Some people A. Hey, we're the experts, that the factory set-
would only do it in the April issue, but that's and we say there hasn't been tings were the same as
too obvious. You do it in the June issue, with any progress in speakers in mine.
the Aragon 8008ST amplifier review. I par- the last 10 years. As a matter When I remarked
ticularly liked where you mention the Alli- of fact, these speakers were about the 8008ST's
son One was the speaker used for the review engineered about 25 years wide bandwidth and
but don't say how old they are. That will ago, and there hasn't been opined that it did not
make your readers go into the Audio Annual any progress since then. seem to have an input
Equipment Directory to try to find some- Q. Don't you think consumers who trusted filter, I was told there was a filter and re-
thing about them, but they won't be in Audio will be upset when they find out? sponse should be -3 dB at 100 kHz. My re-
there. Even if they saved previous Directory A. It doesn't matter, because we're chang- sponse data indicated otherwise, and I sug-
issues for several years, they won't find the ing the name of our magazine to Clueless. gested that perhaps the filter was missing on
Allison One speakers listed because they Then we're getting all new test equipment this sample, which might explain the oscilla-
were discontinued 10 years ago. It will make and speakers and stuff, and our magazine tion. I shipped the amp back to Mondial,
your readers go crazy trying to figure this will have the motto "Clueless, But With New and, to check that nothing had gone awry
out. I can hear them now, "Maybe it's a new Equipment." with my setup, I put a different wideband,
speaker that's not out yet." Very few will sus- Q. How could the editor let this go on? high -power amplifier on the bench; it be-
pect that it came out about a quarter centu- A. Don't take things so seriously. Besides, haved normally in all tests.
ry ago. I've been editor for only six months. I or- Mondial sent a second sample. When it
It was bad luck that the Aragon 8008ST is dered new equipment from one of those 800 also acted strangely, I was back on the phone.
also reviewed in the June issue of Stereophile. numbers in the back of Audio. They told me I advised Mondial that there was no 100 -kHz
I think people may catch on to the joke. After they could get me any brand I wanted. Don't filter in this one either and was told the cut-
all, Stereophile also used an Audio Precision blame me if six months later they still off wasn't really at 100 kHz. So, where was it?
measurement system to test the amplifier, ex- haven't delivered anything. They tell me the Well, I was told my results were probably
cept their Audio Precision was working manufacturer is back -ordered. correct, whatever they were. Hmm! I recon-
properly. Readers will see that Stereophile Q. What is the date of the last receipt your firmed that the factory did use an AP System
didn't have a problem testing the Aragon and reviewer has for sending his test equipment One, that it was set the same as mine, and
might figure out that your reviewer's Audio back to Audio Precision to be calibrated? that they did not have similar problems.
Precision test setup has a problem that the A. Sorry, editor, I couldn't come up with (This is significant because, if oscillation
wide -bandwidth 8008ST makes evident. an answer for this question. You are on your were induced by the test equipment, the fac-
Also, as luck would have it, Stereophile's own on this one. tory should experience similar results.) I
reviewer didn't listen to the amp on a speak- Anthony Federici asked about the test cables used in the facto-
er designed 25 years ago but on the newly re- Mondial Designs ry, since shield grounding can affect amplifi-
leased Energy Veritas v2.8. Tom Norton Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. er stability. My cables are designed to avoid
AUDIO/AUGUST 1996
8
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CIRCLE NO. 4 ON READER SERVICE CARD
such problems, but I suggested the factory tion there would likely cause the problem be said is that one combination sounds bet-
send me the cables it uses so I could dupli- anyway, since power -line ground is not effec- ter (or worse) than another. Since the sound
cate their setup precisely. I was told they did- tive at radio frequencies; it's there for safety character of loudspeakers varies more than
that of other components, I believe it is im-
n't use anything fancy, "just a twisted pair." reasons.
At this point, Mondial said it would get a So Federici wrote a letter and forced this perative that the speaker be maintained con-
System One on loan and try to duplicate my reply. I am reluctant to comment on another stant in the evaluation. That's why I use Alli-
results in its lab. I put the 8008ST aside. A reviewer's measurements, but when Federici son Ones. They're not perfect, but I'm
few weeks later Mondial called back saying it says "[Stereophile's] Audio Precision was utterly familiar with their strengths and
had the answer: The problem was Audio Pre- working properly... [and that] ...Stereophile weaknesses. To me, on the types of music I
cision's. Mondial had learned that Audio didn't have a problem testing the Aragon," use to judge other equipment, they reveal
Precision uses small RF bypass capacitors I'm left no choice. Obviously, I wasn't pre- differences remarkably well.
from the balanced inputs to the chassis. In sent at Stereophile's test, so I can't be sure, I'm looking to replace the Ones-not so
Mondial's opinion, this provided a feedback but I find its published distortion curves much because the design is old (they're still
path from output to input and caused the on the Aragon 8008ST peculiar. Figure 9 good speakers) but because, eventually,
8008ST to oscillate. (I'll not recite the attack (distortion versus output) shows abrupt they're going to leave me for the great be-
on AP in detail; suffice it to say that "stupid" shifts in "distortion," which suggests that yond. Then I'll need replacements, but until
was one of the milder epithets.) Mondial had Stereophile's System One was responding I've lived with a speaker for many months, I
not gotten a System One and tried the tests similarly to mine. Apparently their tester don't consider it fair to review other equip-
didn't question the validity of the measure- ment with it. So I'm looking. When I find
itself, however.
Well, admittedly, this is a possible explana- ment; I did. speakers as self-effacing yet revealing (to
tion, but I don't buy it. RF bypassing both Federici goes on to say that Stereophile re- me!) as the Allison Ones, they'll go. So far, I
sides of a balanced input to chassis is good viewer Tom Norton found that the Aragon haven't.
engineering practice to ensure high -frequen- "produced one of the best sounding top ends Regarding speaker cable, if the Aragon
cy common -mode rejection. Furthermore, overall." Federici does not tell you that this 8008ST requires magic wire to function well,
tying the AP chassis to the 8008ST chassis was Tom's "first reaction" and that Tom goes may I respectfully suggest it be packed with
with a braided cable (as I did) grounds the on to say he "would not describe the Aragon the amplifier. Otherwise, I'll use low -
presumed feedback path and should elimi- as sounding 'sweet"' and that "the very top resistance, low -inductance, low -
capacitance copper wire
nate the feedback. Finally, if the oscillation could turn slightly dry at times, with
were caused by the AP System One, why did- a trace of added zip." Other through which elec-
n't the factory have a problem, since it uses comments in the review trons flow in both di-
the same equipment? could be interpreted as rections! Mine came
I tried different connection arrangements suggesting something from a major electron-
between the second 8008ST and the test gear was not quite right with ics distributor who sells it
and came up with one (described in the re- the 8008ST's top end-Fed- in bulk at a sensible price.
view) that gave reasonably consistent results. erici was particularly upset about Finally, regarding calibration, as
I gave a few preliminary measurements to my calling it "bright"-but I'll readily anyone familiar with the AP System
Mondial's designer, who agreed that they agree that Tom's review was far more posi- One knows, it has a self -diagnostic routine
"seemed about right," so I completed the lab tive than mine. I respect Tom Norton's in- that checks its performance.
work and went to the listening tests. I ap- tegrity, but we do not listen to the same type The strangest thing about this whole affair
proached the listening tests under the as- of music nor do we necessarily listen for the is that nowhere does Federici question my
sumption that the problems were peculiar to same things or in the same way. numbers. In some respects, the 8008ST per-
testing and would not occur in a music sys- This brings us to listening, which, given formed better on my test bench than on
tem, but I did not cotton to the sound of the the limitations imposed on reviewers, is nec- Stereophile's. What really bothers him is my
8008ST, as is evident in my review. essarily subjective. If one is to impose any calling his amplifier "bright." And this with a
Federici was less than pleased. In an effort "science" on listening tests, one must try to speaker that, if anything, is rather "laid back"
to convince Audio to print a retraction, he apply the basic rules of scientific experimen- in the treble. Oh well!-E.J.F.
came up with another explanation of the tation, one of which is to lock down all vari-
bench -test problems. Again, it was Audio ables except the one under test. When re- Editor's Note: Ed Foster was elected a Fellow
Precision's fault. The factory had found that viewing a power amplifier, this means all of the Audio Engineering Society in 1980
some System Ones had a loose ground con- other components in the system must re- "for contributions to audio measurement
nection on the power cord and that if an main the same and be well known to the ob- technology." He is a member of the Board of
8008ST were hooked up to one of those it server. Editors of the Journal of the Audio Engineer-
would do exactly what my sample had done If the speakers are changed from review to ing Society and currently serves as the AES
when I first turned it on. Well, I opened up review, you don't know whether any differ- Vice President, Eastern United States/Cana-
my System One, and the ground connection ence you hear is caused by the amplifier, the da. Foster was chairman of the IHF/EIA am-
was solid as a rock. Not that a loose connec- speaker, or the interface. The most that can er and tape recorder measurement stan-
AUDIO/AUGUST 1996
t