A Progress Report

 by Bryan Geyer

Today, at a time when so many of us have experienced the audible benefit of properly implemented subwoofers, it seems archaic to assign a single driver as the sole bass source in a serious full-range loudspeaker. The spread from the bottom of the low bass passband (20Hz to 80Hz) to the top of the mid-bass passband (80Hz to 400Hz) is simply too wide for one transducer to handle, and the logical way to address that limitation is to split the 20Hz to 400Hz span, and apply separate power amplifiers to drive separate loudspeakers. Each of the assigned drivers can then be optimized as needed, with stiff, long-throw, piston-like air pumps for the ultra-low bass, and flatter, faster woofers for the middle bass. Implicit differences in efficiency would be of no concern because, with each leg driven by a captive amplifier, the respective levels can easily be balanced—or not—as desired. Overall bass levels could readily be adjusted to compensate for prevailing acoustics, as well as for the whim of the listener.

Giant single-driver bass design was initially popularized at the 1939-’40 New York World’s Fair, but we can do better today, and make everything look less cluttered. Compact class D power amplifiers, utilizing multi-layer boards and surface-mount components, can now be buried inside the loudspeaker enclosure. More efficient (also more precise, also less expensive) high impedance analog crossover* and equalization networks can be tailored to extract peak performance from a designated driver, and then blend smoothly with the ensuing upper bass and treble stage. Of course, these same desirable assets can also be implemented by digital means, and that cost-effective alternative is very popular today, despite the need to introduce yet another cycle of analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion. This further complexity is avoided with the all-analog approach, so I personally favor pure analog simplicity, where less is more. But my personal bias is warped by the fact that I can’t test and verify what’s happening when the digital processing is implemented. Indeed, some of the digital simulation jargon seems artificially contrived**, but I’m an “old school” technician in every sense. I don’t own the kind of instruments (or the smarts) needed to appraise digital manipulation of an analog signal.

So who’s at the forefront of this improvement trend? Who is leading the charge to provide electronically augmented loudspeakers? Well, one niche that quickly embraced the integration concept is the mini-monitor makers. They commonly integrate customized power amplifiers with their speakers, but forego the lowest bass. That’s implicit with desktop expectations. The companies that produce hi-end full range loudspeaker systems can best mirror these improvements. Some already offer floorstanders with integrated subwoofers and multiple internal amplifiers. Some utilize digital signal processing (DSP); others might stick with classic analog design. Staffer Bill Heck has previously reported on his upscale speaker system from Legacy Audio; he uses it with his Wavelet 2 digital processor and says the sound is sensational. (So is the the price.) Editor Karl Nehring also favors hi-end Legacy Audio products. It’s obvious that this trend is active and evolving. More entrants should follow, maybe with models for modest budgets and smaller rooms. 

Stay tuned—check reliable reviewers, e.g., sites like Audio Science Review (https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php) and Audioholics (https://www.audioholics.com/) — and stash away some savings; Nirvana may be near!

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*A Linkwitz–Riley filter ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linkwitz–Riley_filter) that provides -24dB/octave attenuation is not particularly complex or costly, but tight precision is essential to ensure that the critical - 6dB down locus coincides precisely for both (low-pass and high-pass) of the filter sections, and that it is positioned at the desired crossover frequency. In practice, this is best achieved by “cherry-picking” the critical R/C components, so production gets messy when accuracy is vital. Digital control apps will tend to artificially obscure such production inaccuracies, but the output will reflect the full extent of any error.

**A DSP control application that I once monitored responded to my inputs by simulating graphic bar charts to mimic the impact of each command, just as if reporting a test result. Pure pseudo-science.

Addendum (by KN):

Bryan raises some important issues here that are well worth consideration. Indeed, it is a really tall order to ask a single driver to handle the frequency spectrum ranging all the way from deep bass up through the midrange – something’s gotta give. As he points out, one viable alternative approach is a good pair of two-way speakers augmented by one or better yet a pair of carefully matched subwoofers. There are many subwoofer manufacturers who offer models with not only built-in amplification and control settings, but also apps that allow tailoring of the system setting through your mobile phone or tablet.

 

Bill Heck and I have taken another route, opting for large multi-way loudspeaker systems that assign the lowest frequencies to what are in effect built-in subwoofer systems (a pair of 10” drivers crossed over at 180Hz in each channel of Bill’s system, a pair of 12” woofers crossed over at 120Hz in mine). To clarify, neither Bill’s Legacy Signature SEs nor my Focus SEs employ any internal digital amplification or crossover circuitry; they are both standard passive speakers with normal analog crossovers. Bill does employ the Wavelet 2 DAC /Preamp / Processor; however, that is a device entirely separate from the speaker. Moreover, it can be used with virtually any speaker, not just those from Legacy Audio. You can learn more about the Wavelet 2 in Bill’s review, which was in two parts: Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

 

Finally, I’d like to mention that there are several loudspeaker manufacturers that are employing advances in both digital amplification and signal processing to offer loudspeaker systems with amazing capabilities. One such example is the British manufacturer KEF, who offers several speaker models that are not only powered, but also incorporate Bluetooth, wi-fi, streaming services, etc. For example, the KEF LS60 Wireless (pictured) is triamped (100 watts Class AB for the tweeter, 100 watts Class D for the midrange, 500 watts for the woofers). It incorporates a 0.75” tweeter coincidentally mounted inside a 4” midrange driver, plus four 5.25” woofers (two on each side of the cabinet). The speakers can be connected together wirelessly or wired for higher-resolution connectivity. Each speaker has an RCA socket for connect an external powered subwoofer. There is an available KEF app that can be used for all manner of control and tailoring for frequency response, room settings, listener profiles. etc. You can also control the LS60s with Roon or Apple AirPlay – it’s a whole new world, folks. 

I’m still amazed that I can walk into my listening room, sit down in my listening chair, open my iPad, pull up Amazon Music or Qobuz, and control my NAD C658 streamer/preamp right from where I sit and listen to hi-res music through my stereo system with so little fuss. Or that I can prop my feet up in the recliner in my living room, turn on the TV, grab the Roku remote, and watch a performance by the Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra or Belle and Sebastian whenever I feel the urge. Yep, it’s a whole new world…

Grieg: Orchestral Works (CD Review)

by Karl Nehring

Symphonic Dances, Op. 64; Bridal Procession from Pictures from Folk Life, Op. 19, No. 2 (arr. J. Halvorsen for orchestra); Three Orchestral Pieces from Sigurd Jorsalfar, Op. 56; Two Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34; (1880); Lyric Suite, Op. 54. Utah Symphony Orchestra; Maurice Abravanel, conductor. VOX-NX-3038CD

 

Here we have another of the recordings from the Vox vaults that have been given new life thanks to the good folks at Naxos, who have been digging out some of the old analog master tapes recorded by Elite Recordings back in the 1970s and preparing new digital masters using state-of-the-art 192 kHz/24-bit technology. As the note on the back cover proclaims, “The Elite Recordings for Vox by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestra recordings.” They have also been choosing some fine performances to resurrect, including these Tchaikovsky recordings by the late American conductor Maurice Abravanel (1903-1993). Although his name may be unfamiliar to many music lovers, his story is an interesting one and his musical achievements are noteworthy. He was born in Greece and raised in Switzerland, where his family lived in the same house as the conductor Ernest Ansermet, with whom young Maurice played four-hand piano music and was able to meet composers such as Stravinsky and Milhaud. He later studied under Kurt Weill in Berlin, then moved to Paris, where he was music director for Balanchine’s Paris Ballet for three years. 

Abravanel then moved to the United States and became the youngest ever conductor ever hired at that time by the Metropolitan Opera. In 1943, he became an American citizen, then in 1947 left New York to become the conductor of what was at the time a rather provincial orchestra in Salt Lake City, Utah. He built that orchestra into what became the Utah Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra over which he presided until his retirement for health reasons in 1979. Abravanel and his orchestra made numerous recordings for several labels, including the first complete Mahler symphony cycle by an American orchestra, for the Vanguard label, and the complete orchestral works of Tchaikovsky for Vox.

Although the Salt Lake Tabernacle was far from an ideal recording venue, its oval domed shape being highly reflective, the Elite Recordings team did their best to deaden the space, draping blankets over the seats and taking special care with microphone placement.  The end result is sonically excellent, the orchestra sounding as though it is playing in a large hall, but nothing is blurred. As for the performances, they come across as relaxed and friendly, although there are times when it feels as though the musicians are a touch undercaffeinated, especially in the Symphonic Dances, which could benefit from a more energetic approach than Abravanel takes here. Overall, however, most music listeners should find plenty to enjoy from the more than 70 minutes of Grieg’s music so warmly played and recorded on this restoration from the Vox vault. 

Russian Variations

by Bill Heck

John Field: Variations on a Russian Folk Song; Alexander Glazunov: Theme and Variations, Op. 72; Pytor Tchaikovsky: 6 Pieces, Op. 21; Serge Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Op. 22. Piers Lane, piano. Hyperion CDA68428

Now this is the kind of album that I really enjoy reviewing: music that is off – but just barely off – the beaten path but still very much worth hearing, played flawlessly, and nicely recorded. What's not too like?

As quickly becomes apparent upon listening, the title of the album accurately describes the works here, even though the pieces are not all named "variations". Let's start with the short (6:00 minute) piece by John Field, which dates from 1818. The excellent liner notes for this release say that many listeners might think of something between Mozart and Chopin and that's not a bad description at all. Heard here, not only the composition but also Lane's playing straddles that line, with a delicacy of touch that really does sound Mozartian but arrangement of shading and emotion that is indeed Chopinesque.

Our second composer, Alexander Glazunov, unfortunately makes it into the consciousness of many classical music lovers today as the possibly drunken conductor of the disastrous premiere of Rachmaninoff's First Symphony. While conducting wasn't his strong suit, and alcohol was a significant factor in his life, his contemporaries thought highly of him; as these variation show, he was a highly skilled composer.  The theme that Glazunov works with could hardly be simpler, but the variations he produces are quite wide ranging and imaginative within a late romantic context. You won't hear the rhythmic excursions and harmonic dissonances produced by his somewhat younger near-contemporaries such as Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich, but you will hear much beauty without mere sentimentality. Lane's playing provides perfect atmosphere, providing an almost dream-like quality punctuated as appropriate by outbursts of energy.

The six pieces by Tchaikovsky each can stand alone, but they really are built around the same theme, even though the theme is sometimes difficult to find. No matter, though: this is Tchaikovsky at his most imaginative and his most willing to try out various forms. For instance, in the first variation, "Prelude", the jarring use of minor sevenths suggests to my twenty-first century-influenced ears that he was warming up for a blues session. Naturally there's much more here than that, but the brief moment illustrated to me the adventurous road that Tchaikovsky was traveling here. In the next movement, a fugue for four voices, our composer is showing that he too, can write counterpoint, suggesting shades of J S Bach. And so it goes, with wonderful creativity through all six of these surprising works.

Piers Lane

And then there are Rachmaninoff's "Variations on a Theme of Chopin". And yes, as enjoyable as the previous works have been, this is a case of saving the best for last. One of Rachmaninoff's earlier compositions, written as he was finally emerging from the depression that followed the disaster of the First Symphony (see above), this is one of the composer's first really large efforts for solo piano, with the original statement of the theme followed by no fewer than 22 variations, clocking in at nearly 29 minutes. The booklet gives a nice high-level summary; I won't attempt to repeat that, but certainly can say that these variations are truly variable, ranging from slow, almost dirge like meditation to joyous exultation. By the way, Rachmaninoff's trademark Dies Irae shows up, blending remarkably with the main theme. While perhaps not as well-known as Rachmaninoff's later masterworks, this clearly is the effort of a major composer, one that will reward repeated hearings.

I blush to admit that I was not familiar with the recordings of Piers Lane, who has a prodigious output on the Hyperion label both as a soloist and a chamber musician. Many of his recordings are like this one in that “off the beaten path” sense that I mentioned earlier, which I say counts as a service to classical music lovers everywhere. A quick look around the Web reveals a high level of critical acceptance of his work, and there certainly will be no dissent here: his playing is wonderfully adjusted to the shifting moods and requirements of these works, and is, of course, technically sure.

As usual with Hyperion, the recorded sound is excellent. The album is available on CD, in a variety of downloadable formats, and also on major streaming services. Easily recommended.

Britten Orchestral Works (CD Review)

by Ryan Ross

Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20; Spring Symphony, Op. 44; The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34. Elizabeth Watts, soprano; Alice Coote, mezzo-soprano; Allan Clayton, tenor; Tiffin Boys’ Choir, Tiffin Children’s Chorus; The Tiffin Girls’ School Choir; London Symphony Orchestra; Sir Simon Rattle, conductor. LSO Live LSO0830

I’ll begin with a confession (or disclosure, if you like): I’m an imperfect Simon Rattle-ite. I think the fawning nature with which the British press in particular treats him is overblown and under-earned. He may be British music’s “most powerful champion” (in the words of Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph, 11 January 2021), at least in a manner of speaking. But I find that he promotes some British composers (the edgier ones) much more enthusiastically than others, and he tends to ignore or barely touch works by worthy figures who desperately need high-profile advocacy. Rattle has only partially embraced Ralph Vaughan Williams (where is his complete symphonic cycle??) now that RVW is suddenly “cool” with the critics. But Rattle has entirely snubbed first-rate music by Bax, Moeran, and Rubbra, for example, leaving their advocacy to folks such as the late conductors Vernon Handley and David Lloyd-Jones. (The latter conductors by contrast spent their careers deserving more credit than they received.) 

On the other hand, if I’m honest, I just don’t think Rattle has much of that heart-on-sleeve emotional sensibility. And to the extent that this is why he has avoided certain works, I can’t blame him entirely. Indeed, with a few exceptions I find his recordings of “mainstream” Romantic fare lacking. Nonetheless, even tepid performances of something like the Arnold symphonies, for instance, would be a nice gesture. I feel certain that these works have the potential to “catch on” much better than the Birtwistle and Adès (etc.) that he seems to relish serving up to his connoisseur admirers at concerts. 

 

But there is a middle ground where I think Rattle is both at his conducting best AND deftly bridges opposite camps of taste. The music of Benjamin Britten resides here. Often too detached for the Easy Accessibility Crowd, and yet not usually “difficult” enough to be placed with the hardcore modernists, Britten’s music frustrates easy categorization. His unique ideas and syntax can take getting accustomed to and are best initially approached via his friendliest works. One, arguably two, of these appear on this disc of live performances (The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and the Sinfonia da Requiem), with the other (the Spring Symphony) perhaps necessitating a few more listens for the full appreciation it merits. While he previously recorded fine outings of the first two compositions with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, this performance with the London Symphony (and accompanying vocalists) is Rattle’s first commitment of the Spring Symphony to disc. All meet and surpass previous efforts in what is a superb recording with extremely good sound. 

To the growing number of Sinfonia da Requiem recordings available, Rattle and the LSO add what is for me, together with Previn/LSO (HMW ASD 3154, re-released on EMI), the best yet. Here Rattle’s emotional restraint serves the music well. It is easy to overplay this work. But, perhaps paradoxically, what it really needs to achieve maximum effect is a careful touch by a conductor who will steer rather than smother it. When this is done, its delicate nuances and accumulating effects can be experienced properly. Rattle wisely concentrates on balance and sonority to this end. Everything is extremely well judged. Similarly, this Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra comes off wonderfully, even in a crowded recording field. It positively brims with color and exuberance. True, at between 17 and 18 minutes long it is not among the fastest out there (and certainly not as speedy as Britten’s own offering with the LSO on Decca 417 509-2). But again, I find Rattle’s relative restraint to be in service of the sonic details. The kids won’t (or shouldn’t) mind waiting just a minute or so longer for snack time afterward!

 

But maybe the disc’s real treasure is its Spring Symphony, which easily takes up the majority of space and traverses a rather different world. Made up of various texts about the eponymous season’s arrival, and featuring vivid contrasts (timbral, sonorial, etc.) between its many short movements, this composition will frustrate a puritanical conception of the symphony genre. Never mind; what we have here is the product of a first-rate musical imagination that offers up a cornucopia of sounds and associations. If ever it were the listener’s loss not to give a work a few dedicated listens before passing judgment, it’s here. And if all goes well once this is done, the effect of the whole can be quite spellbinding. Rattle, the LSO, and their terrific singers give about as effective an account as one could ask. All of the delicate little sensations of text and setting come through. A feast for the ears. 

While I have my reservations about the work of Simon Rattle, I can’t expect him to right all of the wrongs that persist in the concert hall, the history books, and people’s attitudes. Nor should I use my own biases to unduly blame him. If I continue to withhold the praise effused by others, I also must give credit where it is due. Elsewhere I have said that conductors should more often choose to record music that well suits their own character. Rattle meets this ideal better than some. And if I wish someone of his standing could help dislodge certain wonderful music from obscurity, I’m still happy to meet him in the middle for some fabulous Britten. 

Amazona Persona Non Grata

by Karl Nehring

As you can see from the brief biographical information printed below, for many years I was associated with an audio magazine called The $ensible Sound. Starting as a contributor in the 1970s, I increased my involvement to the point of becoming the Editor in the 1980s, a position I held until finally stepping down in the early 2000s, although I stayed on as Music Editor for the final few issues until the publisher decided to cease publication in 2003. Besides reviewing audio equipment and doing the actual editing of the magazine, I did a column titled “More Jazz Than Not” in which I published reviews of recordings – first of LPs, then of CDs as they began to replace vinyl in my collection. As you might guess from the title, the majority of my reviews were of jazz recordings, but I also reviewed quite a few classical releases. 

By the time the magazine folded, I had hundreds of reviews of both classical and non-classical albums stored on the hard drive of my Macintosh. Reflecting back on all the time and effort I had invested in writing these reviews, and realizing that these albums were still widely available as LPs and CDs, the thought occurred to me that perhaps I could turn my reviews into books that could serve as guides to the recorded music marketplace. I had no high expectations of these books becoming best sellers, but I thought it would at least be fun to pull my reviews into book form and see whether I could possibly find a publisher.

 

Going back through the reviews, I quickly decided that I had enough classical music reviews to justify separating my hundreds of reviews into two manuscripts: classical and everything else. I then separated my reviews into two large folders. Having done that, I carefully went through each review, massaging it to make it consistent in terms of style and format so that the book would come across as a unified whole rather than as just a dump of old reviews. Once I had done this for all the reviews in both volumes, I wrote introductions for each and created the actual final manuscripts. 

 

As I began to think about where I might possibly be able to send these manuscripts to see about getting them accepted for publication, the thought suddenly occurred to me that, as a courtesy, I really ought to let the publisher of The $ensible Sound know that I was intending to publish my reviews. Although all the writing was in fact mine, the reviews had been published in his publication, so it just seemed to me that the right thing to do was to let him know I was doing this. I thought he would say something along the lines of, “hey, that’s a great idea, good luck, let me know how it turns out.” Instead, he said that he would publish them himself, I should send him the files so he could get started, etc.

 

Well, to make a long story short, neither of my manuscripts ever got published. 

 

A few years later, my doctor retired. His replacement turned out to be incompetent. After putting up with his incompetence for longer than I should have, I found a new doctor who knew what she was doing, gave me a thorough going-over, found some issues, and I was shortly thereafter found to have prostate cancer. Following my surgery, I had a couple of weeks off from work, during which time I decided I could finally do something useful with all those reviews I still had sitting on my hard drive, which were now in the guise of the two book manuscripts: I could post those reviews on Amazon. I edited them to make them more Amazon-appropriate, and Amazon seemed happy to have them. In fact, I was credited as being a Top 200 Reviewer or something of the sort, and for a long time was getting all manner of comments on my reviews. As I would purchase new or used CDs, I would often write reviews and post them. 

 

In 2018, John Puccio, who had been Music Editor of The $ensible Sound throughout its existence, and with whom I had kept in some touch in the years since, asked whether I would be willing to do some reviewing for Classical Candor, a classical music review blog he had started. I accepted his kind invitation and began submitting some reviews. Since I was also posting reviews to Amazon, I would take the reviews I did for Classical Candor, scrub them down a bit (Amazon does not allow outside links/references and such) and then post them to Amazon.

 

Then one fateful day about two years ago I went to post a review on Amazon but was unable to do so. Instead, I received a message that informed me that Amazon had detected suspicious activity from my address. I could no longer post, and all my reviews had been removed. 

 

Wait, what?! ALL MY HUNDREDS OF REVIEWS HAD BEEN REMOVED!

 

Unbelievable. I had by this point posted something like 800 reviews. Not just music reviews, although that was the vast majority. But every single one of them had been removed. Without warning. (And oh, by the way, John Puccio has been similarly banned.)

 

The message said I could contact Customer Service to contest/discuss this action. Again, to make a long story short, I have been trying for two years now to get back in their good graces. I have talked to several people. I explain that I have long reviewed albums and that I generally post reviews only of music that I enjoy and recommend. I remind them that for years they seemed to be quite happy with what I was doing. I find that the people I talk to always seem to be sympathetic. I also point out that for whatever reason I now cannot review anything – books, clothes, flashlights, anything that I purchase. I ask whether I can be reinstated if in the future I will only post ratings/reviews of items I actually purchase on Amazon. They say that sounds reasonable, they will recommend my case be reviewed, and promise that I will hear something within two weeks. I soon get an email denying my request.

To add insult to injury, a month or so after I was banned from posting, I purchased a book on Amazon.  Before long, I got an email from Amazon inviting to post a rating of the book. Not a review, just a rating -- one to five stars. Sure, I was willing to do that; moreover, I was gratified by what seemed to be a clear indication of at least a partial thaw in our relationship. 

But when I went to the site to click on a star, I was immediately shut out. A window popped up on my screen reminding me that because Amazon had observed suspicious activity from my web address, I was forbidden from posting. My goodness, even though Amazon had invited me to rate a book I had purchased from their site, they were forbidding me to do so. 

 

A few weeks ago I tried calling Amazon Customer Service yet again to plead my case. As usual, I spoke to someone who was sympathetic to my case who promised to pass along my recorded phone call to their review committee. My only glimmer of hope is that the most recent rejection email resulting from mu call at least offered me the opportunity to reply to their email and offer additional evidence in my behalf. Although I don’t have much hope that it will change their minds, I have done so. I pointed out to them that I am a Prime member, that the way things stand now I am unable to rate or review even items that I purchase on Amazon. I asked whether I could possibly be reinstated to the point where I could at least review items I purchase through Amazon.

 

And now I wait once again. We shall see

Update:

In reply to my email, I received the usual standard email informing me that they had noticed suspicious activity on my account and I was therefore not allowed to rate, review, comment, etc.

That's it. I give up. 

…