Feature Articles

: Written by: Peter Roth; Category: General Interest & Interviews; Created: 01 December 2011

Part Two: Implementing a Philosophy of Sound

Two months ago, in "Developing a Philosophy of Sound," the first half of this feature interview, Andrew Jones focused on the studies, experiments, and experiences that underlie his thinking about sound, especially as it applies to his loudspeaker designs. Jones describes it as "A balanced design approach which maximizes, along multiple parameters, real-world performance and original artistic intent across the musical spectrum."

In Part Two we discuss Jones’s role as Director and Chief Engineer of TAD Laboratories, how he has applied his philosophy to the speakers he’s designed for TAD, and the systems he builds around those speakers at international audio events.

: Written by: Peter Roth; Category: General Interest & Interviews; Created: 01 October 2011

Part One: Developing a Philosophy of Sound

One of the highlights of 2011 for me was the opportunity to interview Andrew Jones, Director and Chief Engineer for TAD Laboratories. Jones not only designed TAD’s state-of-the-art Reference One ($78,000 USD per pair) and Compact Reference ($38,000/pair) loudspeakers, but also Pioneer’s SP-BS41-LR bookshelf model, an outstanding value at a low cost ($150/pair). Talented and engaging, Jones has had a fascinating personal and professional history in the world of high-performance audio. While our discussions ranged widely, they ultimately revolved around his philosophy of sound and the role it plays in his speaker designs. The exchanges in this segment focus on the studies, experiments, and experiences responsible for Jones’s formulation and refinement of his philosophy of sound. The final installment will focus on his role at TAD Laboratories, the implementation of his philosophy in TAD’s speaker models, and the systems he builds around those speakers at international audio events.

: Written by: Jeff Fritz; Category: General Interest & Interviews; Created: 01 June 2011

If you’ve kept up with the audio trade shows of late, such as the annual Consumer Electronics Show, and perhaps even wandered into a Magico demonstration to hear their speakers, you’ve probably also heard a pretty ambitious music server that was also demonstrated in June 2009, at the Computer Audiophile Symposium in Berkeley, California. The fellow who developed this unique audio component did so because Magico wanted the best possible source with which to demonstrate their loudspeakers. Since music servers have been an area of increasing interest to audiophiles worldwide, we wanted to learn more about them from Matan Arazi, the designer of the Audeeva Conbrio music server.

201106-1

: Written by: Simeon Sandiford; Category: General Interest & Interviews; Created: 01 April 2011

Rockport Technologies Ankaa Most audiophiles will recognize that of the myriad components in audio playback chains, loudspeakers have always been the subject of the most rigorous, passionate, and inconclusive debates. And there's plenty of evidence suggesting that this trend won't be changing any time soon.

Specifications might weigh heavily in the analysis of other high-fidelity entities, but they take on a whole new significance with loudspeakers. Because we all hear and listen differently, however, there's little room for unbiased assessments, and audiophiles are unlikely to reach consensus. Recently, Jeffrey W. Fritz, editor-in-chief of the SoundStage! Network, has added more fuel to the debate with two insightful articles: "Do You Always Get What You Pay For?" and "Comparisons on Paper: B&W 803 Diamond vs. Tidal Contriva Diacera SE."

Clearly there must be some sensible approach to evaluating loudspeakers. But because customers are rarely able to audition equipment in their own homes, they're often forced to make purchases in pressure-filled, aurally blind circumstances. Are we forgetting that without patrons there can be no industry? Consumers need to be numerous, nurtured and nourished, and dealers should never treat them like audio neophytes.

: Written by: Simeon Sandiford; Category: General Interest & Interviews; Created: 01 January 2011

A challenging portfolio

201101_jack_renner The fiercely competitive field of high-resolution audio is a challenging job environment. The ideal recording engineer should have a keen sense of music appreciation, and strong knowledge of electronics and acoustics. A thorough understanding of microphones and their applications is an essential prerequisite.

One of the portfolio’s main objectives is to guide clients into making technically sound decisions, so as to optimize the overall quality of finished recordings. This is usually done in conjunction with the project’s producer.

Most musicians will accept good professional advice. Therefore, the recording engineer needs to instinctively appreciate the finely delineated balance between the words subjective and objective. By accepting tactful, prudent recommendations, musicians can avoid wasting money resulting from poor productions. This strategy generally ensures repeated business from satisfied clients and generates new opportunities through referrals.

However, according to Jack Renner (at his recording console in photo above right), who was the chief recording engineer of TELARC Records, "Many would argue that the producer on any project has more influence on the final outcome, musically speaking, than the recording engineer. The engineer is ultimately charged with delivering the final sound re-creation which satisfies both performer and producer."

: Written by: Garrett Hongo; Category: General Interest & Interviews; Created: 01 November 2010

201011_pic1 Summer in Southern California is beaches, BBQs, sun and fun, outdoor symphony concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, and a lot of freeway driving. It’s not as well known for audio, though manufacturers, distributors, and legendary dealerships abound in the area. I recently dropped in on two SoCal distributors: Philip O’Hanlon’s On a Higher Note, in San Juan Capistrano, and Dan Meinwald’s EAR USA/Sound Advice, in Long Beach. On a Higher Note distributes Brinkmann Audio, Luxman, Vivid Audio, and (soon) Audio Aero, while EAR USA/Sound Advice distributes EAR, Mårten Design, Townshend Audio, and Jorma Design.

Philip O’Hanlon lives in the foothills above San Juan Capistrano. I drove up through swank suburban roads to O’Hanlon’s large, two-story, Mediterranean-style home. O’Hanlon greeted me at the door and waved me quickly inside; he was busy making up playlists on an iPad, for later burning to CD. He spoke with the distinctive Gaelic lilt and precise pronunciation of the Irish; he’s from Cork, in the south of Ireland.

He led me into an incredible space. A long spiral staircase descended to a spacious (40’ x 31’ x 23’) master room with a cathedral ceiling, skylights, floor-to-ceiling rear windows, French doors at one end, large artworks on the walls, and, in a pot in one corner, a living tree. The staircase curled toward a long bar with a huge mirror behind it, then to a living-room space with couches and chairs on one side, and on the other a listening space with Vivid Audio’s distinctively shaped G1Giya speakers (91dB/6 ohms, $65,000/pair), a leather couch, assorted electronics, and other audio gear. Tucked under the staircase was a collection of LPs and CDs.

: Written by: Simeon Sandiford; Category: General Interest & Interviews; Created: 15 October 2010

A Pandora’s Box for audiophiles

My realization that Jack Renner had miked Ahmad Jamal’s Chicago Revisited from the audience perspective proved to be very serendipitous indeed. A piece to provoke healthy discussion among the many avid supporters of this publication was long overdue.

Renner’s statement was astounding because I had always assumed that pianos were miked from the performers’ perspective. So with my curiosity aroused, I spent days listening to nearly every piano recording in my library and contemplating the intrinsic sonic characteristics of today’s modern high-resolution recordings and audiophile playback systems. An audiophile’s Pandora’s Box had been inadvertently opened.

The main ingredients

Perspective relates to the way our senses perceive events. When we close our eyes and listen to recorded music, there should be spatial cues that allow the brain to reconstruct events accurately. We should see the performers. For clarification, players’ perspective refers to musicians onstage facing an audience, while audience perspective refers to an audience facing the performers.

Realism in audio reproduction pertains to the delineation of a soundstage into a facsimile of an original recording, without embellishment or interpretation. The term relates directly to nuances and detail, phenomena that are inextricably linked to the resolving power of audiophile playback systems.

Many factors influence perspective and realism. Some of the more commonly used industry terms are:

: Written by: Simeon Sandiford; Category: General Interest & Interviews; Created: 01 July 2010

The trigger

Recently, while reorganizing my library, I perused an article in the September 1983 issue of The Abso!ute Sound (Vol.8 No.31), "The Threat of the Compact Disc to the Sound of Music," by renowned mastering engineer Douglas Sax, of Sheffield Lab Recordings. Overwhelmed by curiosity and nostalgia, I resurrected a blue T-shirt I’d bought at the 1984 Winter Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas. Sax’s commendable crusade and its catchy slogan, "Stop Digital Madness," had received sustained support from skeptical audiophiles.

In concluding his piece, Sax wrote, "For me, all digital attempts thus far have been a failure. I simply cannot enjoy music that has been digitally processed, and the enjoyment of music in the home is the sole reason we have a high-fidelity industry. I support analog recording because it works.

"It is a time-proven process that contains musical information which is accessible to all and which has a resolution that allows the listener to continually discover hidden nuances as he improves the abilities of his home playback system."

The words thus far in that first sentence, reinforced by his description of analog as being "a time-proven process," prompted me to conclude that Sax, like most audiophiles, would eagerly anticipate future research and development into the optimization of digital sound, as audiophiles continued the quest to hear more and more, until the resolving capabilities of home playback systems approached its horizontal asymptote of live musicians performing in real spaces.

Sax’s article was published at a point in audio’s history halfway between the birth of stereophonic high fidelity and the current level of refinement of analog-to-digital conversion techniques. In the 27 years since that article’s publication, what sort of evolution has taken place? How much more are we hearing today at home, and how far away does utopia remain?

But first: Where and when did stereo begin?

: Written by: Jeff Fritz; Category: Off the Cuff; Created: 01 March 2011

Jeff Fritz: Is point-to-point wiring better than circuit boards in all electronic applications?

Gilbert Yeung: It depends on what a designer wants the result to be and what the product is. The general rule of thumb is: With low-noise, high-gain, low-level signals, use a PCB. With low gain and a higher level of signal, use point to point.

JF: What is your favorite Blue Circle amp?

GY: I haven't designed that one yet.

JF: Have you ever just given up on a design that wasn't meeting your expectations?

GY: Yes. There were two occasions where I gave up on designs. Both designs were suggested and pushed by salesmen. Since then we have gotten rid of all salesmen and haven't given up on a design since.

JF: If you could change one misconception that most audiophiles share, what would it be?

: Written by: Jeff Fritz; Category: Off the Cuff; Created: 15 December 2010

Jeff Fritz: Coda has been producing amplifiers and preamplifiers for . . .

Doug Dale: We started as Continuum in 1985 and made a small run of MC cartridge head amplifiers. Then we hibernated for a couple of years and began Coda with a limited line of preamps and amps. We operated comfortably from 1989 until 2003. We relocated at that time, forced by the purchase of the industrial park in which the original facility was located. We relocated again in 2007 and have worked to improve our product flow and continued to improve the designs.

JF: Class-A amplifiers sound so good because?

DD: A perfect design should be totally neutral, but nothing is perfect. If a spectral analysis is done of a class-A circuit the distortion that is produced has harmonics that are more related to the original signal than those that are present in a non-class-A design. This is a characteristic that is shared with tube amplifiers and may be the reason that class-A amps are often referred to as tube-like. When they do clip or distort they do so in a less "offensive" manner than a typical class-AB amp.

JF: Are Coda amplifiers of today better than the Thresholds of yesteryear?

DD: We certainly think so. Electronically our designs are quite different, being non-Stasis. The Threshold amps were quite good at the time, however. As a group we all preferred class-A circuits to the Stasis topology. In regard to objective measurements, there is no comparison. The class-A circuits implemented by Coda are dramatically better.