August 9, 2000
Subject: DVD-Audio
We've
all been waiting for DVD-A for three years. (SACD isn't going to cut it, as Sony doesn't
seem to be interested in the mass market.) So yesterday I open a flyer from J&R Music
World (home of the Bose 901) to find a DVD-A player from Pioneer on the inside cover for
$999 -- and it looked like it was for real.
So,
since we've all been waiting so long for this development, why did I have to read about it
in J&R? Could you fill us in on the present status of DVD-A players since that is
where most of us are looking (impatiently at this point) for our next (and hopefully
final) music source?
Thanks!
John
Kugler
Dear John:
I didn’t realize that it was a
secret -- I read about it on Stereophile.com (a superb source of industry news, BTW, with
updated news articles every Monday). Pioneer and Panasonic seem to be the first to market,
although that trickle will likely become a flood by fall. Most of the first-generation
players I’ve seen proposed are going for that thousand-dollar price point, but
I’m sure that will also drop rapidly, just as DVD-V players have.
The big question is where’s the
software we need now that we have the players?
ATB...Wes
August 4, 2000
Subject: Nearfield home theater
I
am considering setting up a nearfield video/surround-sound system with a viewing/listening
distance in the 3' to 6' range.
Your
thoughts on video monitor type and screen size, speakers and speaker placement, as well
as, any surround-sound-processor compatibility issues would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Gary
Dear Gary:
I’ve heard some fantastic-sounding
surround systems in the nearfield -- you might even say that the illusion of being in a
different space is even greater under those conditions. You’ll need to set the
speakers up carefully, especially the front three, so arrival times are equal. As to the
surrounds, mount them about a foot higher than your ears so you don’t get direct
sound so much as environmental fill.
The big problem is the video end of it.
Most direct-view monitors put out too much light to be comfortably viewed from that close,
not to mention that you will see every line and wrinkle -- on the set and on the actors as
well. Perhaps one of the widescreen plasma monitors would work best, although that’s
an expensive solution.
ATB...Wes
August 3, 2000
Subject: Spectron digital amp
I've
been reading rave reviews of the new Spectron digital amp. My question is regarding
preamps that would be used with it. Would the difference in sound of specific preamps be
eliminated by going through the digital amplification process?
Karl
Dear Karl:
No, in fact the Spectron should
preserve preamplifier differences since these exist in the preamp’s output. Of
course, that would be dependent upon how good the Spectron’s A/D converter is.
ATB...Wes
August 2, 2000
Subject: MartinLogan
I
recently re-read your 1997 review (for Stereophile) of MartinLogan's SL3 speakers.
I am considering the purchase of a pair, mindful that they have been discontinued by the
manufacturer. The deal being offered ($2600) is very enticing, especially since I was
considering buying the Aerius i. Is it worthwhile to purchase the SL3s when my primary
interest is home theater? The 64" height concerns me, as my wife is notorious for
complaining about large black speaker boxes in the house. I can easily imagine purchasing
four Aerius i or Scenarios, but what do I give up musically? I also have a powered sub for
added bottom.
I
guess what I am asking is whether the SL3s are the right speaker for me, or can I
duplicate their performance in the smaller models? My listening area is a 26' x 31'
rectangle, which includes a living room, kitchen and dining area.
Your
comments would be appreciated.
Mike
Sherman
Dear Mike:
No one’s a bigger fan of the
Aerius than I am. It was the first serious audio product I ever reviewed, and it was a
joy. But it works best in small rooms, whereas the SL3 can produce amazing sound in a wide
range of room sizes -- even really huge rooms, such as the Santa Fe listening room I
reviewed them in. And for home theater, I’d go for the SL3s over the Aerii.
I can’t imagine your wife finding
them too visually obtrusive either -- like all MartinLogans, they are graceful, if not
delicate-looking. At that price, I’d leap on them in a minute.
ATB...Wes
August 1, 2000
Subject: Why is it so bright in here?
Wes,
I'm
wondering if you can help me with a brightness problem I'm having in my system. First off,
let me tell you about my system and my problems. Your review (as well as the reviews of
others) made me decide to try the Musical Fidelity A3CR amp and preamp. I paired these
with my Audio Physic Tempo III loudspeakers, CEC TL-5100Z CD player, and Pure Silver Sound
(www.puresilversound.com)
Octet speaker wire and Pure Silver Sound Quartet interconnects (if you're not familiar
with PSS, they use Teflon-coated strands of 99.99% pure, slow-drawn silver, braided in a
Litz design). Everything (except the CD player and speakers, which are older and broken
in) has been burned in for around 200+ hours, so I shouldn't be having a problem there.
Still, most of my CDs are pretty bright, some painfully so, at my normal listening level
of around 90dBs.
I've
tried many things to alleviate this. First, I tried Nordost Eco 3 spray on all cables
(actually did something good, but didn't do anything to the brightness). Next, I tried a
VTL 2.5 preamplifier in place of the A3CR. I could go into great detail about this
comparison, but I won't. In the end, I found the 2.5 to be much more musical, with an
equal soundstage, so the A3CR preamp is going back, and I actually found a used VTL 5.5
that had just been re-tubed that's going to replace the A3CR preamp. However, the VTL only
SLIGHTLY cured the brightness. Next I tried NBS Mine/Serpent II speaker wire. This sounds
like someone put a blanket over my speaker. Sure, it got rid of most of the brightness,
but absolutely killed the sound. The PSS is so much more detailed, musical, punchier, with
a greater soundstage. I'm not giving all this up. Next I tried a Nordost El Dorado power
cord on the amp. Slight improvement, but not enough (and not enough to warrant the $600
cord).
So
this is where I stand. Many people have suggested to me that pure silver cable is, in
general, bright and the source of my problem. But then I read tons of user reviews of pure
silver cable (at audioreview.com
and audioasylum.com) and I only
found ONE complaint about the brightness. Most attribute the perception that silver cable
is bright to people hearing silver-plated copper wires and finding those bright, as many
are, and just assuming that silver is bright. That said, I do think it may be the cable.
But I love everything about the cable so much EXCEPT that brightness. What to do?
Another
thing someone suggested to me is that maybe my CD player is bright. I have been using it
for almost a year with my Musical Fidelity X-Cans and Grado RS-1 headphones, as well as
hooking it up to some friends' systems (Apogee Centaurs in one, B&W CDM1s in another)
and have never had a problem with it being bright. So this isn't it.
Part
of the reason I'm asking you is because one of the cables I'm thinking about trying is the
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista speaker wire, which you tried with the A3CR amp. Many people say
this is a great cable and deserves a separate review (like Michael Fremer's review in Stereophile
of the Nu-Vista 300 power amp), but I have yet to see one. Do you think this may be able
to solve my problem? I absolutely love the detail and clarity of the Pure Silver Sound
speaker wire, so I don't want to lose that. I just want to lose the brightness. I think it
may be the silver that has everything I love, but it may also be the silver that's bright.
I don't know. Could the Musical Fidelity cable help? Also, does the Musical Fidelity
speaker wire have spades that actually fit the massive (9/16" or so) binding posts of
the A3CR amp? Those binding posts are such a pain.
So
please let me know if you have any helpful hints to cure my brightness problem. I am
loving the sound of the system when the brightness doesn't get in the way. If I could just
get rid of the brightness (without spending oodles of money on more equipment) and leave
everything else intact, I would be loving life. As things stand now, I'm very frustrated.
Thanks
so much for your help,
David
Dear David:
Yeah, I suspect the wire, although
it’s hard to make an intelligent guess at this remove. The interesting thing about
silver wire is that listeners around the world seem to agree that it has a tendency
towards brightness, even though actual sonic preferences vary from culture to culture.
However, not all silver wire is uncomfortably bright -- one of my favorite cables is
Kimber’s KCAG, which is pure silver and, in my opinion, beautifully balanced.
You might find the Nu-Vista cable to
your liking -- I think it’s awfully darn good myself. But you may have to audition
quite a few cables before you find one that locks in to your liking. As to the spades,
they don’t fit the post on the Musical Fidelity connectors, but they fit under the
huge knob and make good contact. I think that most people who are frustrated by this
design are simply trying to get it to behave like a normal five-way post, which it
isn’t. The post itself is oversized and not every spade will stretch --
however, the tightening knob is huge and it will fit over almost any fastener I’ve
tried. If you get the connector anywhere under the knob and tighten it down (which is
where it really shines), you’ll have a good connection.
ATB...Wes
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