Hear! Hear!

That handsome hunk of electronic equipment nestled at the foot of this page between the twins, who symbolize stereo's dual sounds, is a dual preamplifier built by Fairchild and designed by Raymond Loewy. In real life, it is, if you will, the brains of a modern stereo rig. That is, its knobs, dials and switches at your finger tips permit you to select the mode of operation of your stereo system, to balance its sound, and otherwise to temper it and make it swell forth or diminish to suit your personal preference.

But this particular preamp has a symbolic function on this page, too. It represents the emergence of stereo design, both electronically and visually, from the wildly oscillating and seemingly haphazard chaos of a few months back, to the much better designed and produced stereophonic equipment now (text continued on p. 64)Hear! Hear!(continued from page 59) available to the canny buyer. Some two hundred manufacturers of high fidelity equipment -- and other equipment which is not so faithful as it is touted to be -- are now in full production on stereogear. Since each of them makes more than one hunk of equipment, the choice that presents itself to the stereophile is staggering. Some 53 items -- representing, and representative of, the cream of the crop -- appear on the preceding pages. With these pictures and this text, you should be able, without undue confusion, to equip yourself for the best in stereo sound. Some prepurchase admonition and advice should provide sufficient guidance for all but the tone --or Vincent Van Gogh after his selfadministered plastic surgery. Let's start then with six stereo axioms.

1. Don't buy without listening. Presumably by now Playboy readers are sufficiently acoustically sophisticated to withstand the first siren song of stereo. Having been astounded by it, we should now be prepared to be pleasured by it. Distorted stereo sounds are far worse than distorted monophonic sounds. Whether you buy a packaged set, or assemble your own from a dozen components, listen to it first. Good component dealers are generally equipped to let you hear whatever combination you select. Caution: ignore the dealer's demonstration discs and ask to hear one with which you are familiar. Ideally, stereo renders you completely unconscious of speakers and speaker enclosures to a degree impossible with monophonic rigs.

2. It's fine to think big when you're planning to go stereo, but think big realistically, that is, in terms of the size of your listening space. A superb speaker system like the James B. Lansing Ranger-Paragon or a pair of Electro-Voice Patricians or Altec 830-As -- all big jobs with big, beautiful sound -- have no place in a one-room apartment unless it's one hell of a one room. By the same token, Acoustic Research AR-2s, which are little wonders in the average living room, won't do much for a giant duplex.

3. Be realistic, too, in your estimate of yourself. While there is no getting away from the wonderful sense of participation (with composer, musicians and sound engineers) that you get when you put together your own rig from a variety of components of your own choosing, a sensible self-appraisal may reveal to you that you are hardly the type to take the trouble entailed, and that you would do much better to buy one of the better packaged rigs which are now available in high quality and in good contemporary design, such as those shown on page 63.

4. Before you buy, think in terms of the degree of flexibility which may be appropriate to your specific needs. In one sense, for example, a packaged set is totally flexible, that is, you can move it around from place to place in a room or from room to room, or have the movers take it along when you change your quarters. An all-component rig, on the other hand, for which you buy or build cabinets, may be inflexible in the sense of portability, but it is the most highly flexible you can possibly obtain in terms of speaker placement, speaker separation, hiding the components out of sight, and replacing -- with something better or newer -- any one component of the rig without having to scrap or sell or trade the whole thing. Consider, too, the in-between rig, which is semi-flexible in every sense of the word. The equipment pictured on pages 60-63 is grouped according to these varying degrees of flexibility -- about which more later.

5. Despite the howls and groans this will arouse, we would like to say categorically that at this time our best advice is not to convert from monophonic to stereo, but to start with stereo from scratch. Conversion may be accomplished -- and successfully -- but in terms of effort, time, ultimate outlay and possible disappointments along the way, it is far less preferable than trading in or selling your mono rig (or moving it for use in another room).

6. We've said it before and we'll say it again: master your impulse to economize when purchasing either complete packages or component rigs, in those elements of the sound system which are mechanical as well as electronic. In other words, the moving parts -- stylus, cartridge, tone arm, turntable or changer, especially those which have physical contact with the disc -- should never be selected for inexpensiveness, since the amount saved will soon be gobbled up by the wearing out of stereo discs, and their frequent replacement cost will go on and on. The worst a mediocre amplifier can do is give you mediocre sound; you can replace it when ready. But an insufficiently compliant pickup, a heavily weighted stylus, a tone arm that does not track properly, or a rumbling, vibrating turntable can ruin records as well as assault your ears.

With these six propositions in mind, let's get back to the matter of flexibility. The least -- or most -- flexible stereo assemblages (depending on where you're sitting -- or moving) are the packages. Such truly custom quality jobs as those by Fisher and Ampex cost almost as much as a car -- and are almost as big as some of the nicer little automotive imports. The best of them will give you disc stereo, tape stereo, AM-FM radio stereo, multiplex stereo (as soon as broadcasts are available), monophonic or stereo recording of your own -- and, of course, monophonic sound as well. All of them, however, are equipped with changers. Some claims to the contrary notwithstanding, the best stereo changers can't promise you the rumble-free, virtually wearless playing of stereo discs that may be obtained by use of the turntables and pickup arms designed specifically for stereo playing. We'll hasten to go on to say, however, that this need not be the operative, decisive factor in your choice of stereo sound systems. The convenience of a changer, particularly if you like to lounge at some distance from the disc-playing mechanism -- or entertain a lot -- may well outweigh for you the inevitable concomitant record wear. Certainly the best changers which are designed expressly for stereo contribute less to record wear than a worn stylus, improper stylus force, a sluggishly moving tone arm or indifferent turntable. In selecting a stereo package, we caution you to listen carefully for rumble -- the most frequent disease afflicting stereo music played on changers.

One of our record reviewers has just furnished a new apartment in which he's installed a packaged stereo rig. He's very happy with it, too -- one of the reasons being that a single line cord from the rear of the set to an AC outlet is all the external wiring he requires. Because he must listen, critically, to a great many records a month, he's rather hard to please. He has nothing but praise for his Columbia Masterwork.

More versatile than the packaged sets are those component rigs we've termed semi-flexible, that is, rigs comprised of components combining several functions. In terms of convenience, compactness, ease of assembly and comparative ease of up-grading replacement, these combination components may be just what you should go after.

If your primary interest is radio music -- monophonic AM and FM and/or stereo (with provision for stereo multiplex) -- you will probably want a combination of stereo tuners, amplifiers and dual preamplifier, all on one chassis. If your major interest is disc stereo, you'd probably do better with twin amplifiers plus dual preamp on a single chassis or, for a bit more flexibility, twin amplifiers on a single chassis and a separate stereo preamplifier. Depending on your listening tastes or preferences, you'll want to hook these components to a changer and/or turntable. Changer or turntable, the man whose preferences lead him to the convenience of a semi-flexible-components rig will probably select one in which all parts, including the base, the pickup arm and the pickup, are made by the same manufacturer, and are purchasable already completely wired. A stereo tape player with its own dual preamp, (continued on page 91)Hear! Hear!(continued from page 64) which most of them have, comes next -- the whole rig probably to be played through a one-unit twin speaker system. We've already commented on the matchless but large and expensive Ranger-Paragon whose sound dispersion gives you stereo in virtually all parts of a room. The Paragon now has a smaller brother, the Metregon. It is less expensive and can be purchased in a variety of loadings, including a minimal one which can be added to as occasion and pocketbook dictate. Bozak provides variable bidirectionality through reflecting doors at the ends of its long cabinet. So does the University TMS-2. The Tannoy dual system has slightly walleyed coaxials which keep stereo sound from seeming to be focused at one best spot in the room; Jensen makes a single-unit stereo twin speaker system which permits adjustment of its tweeters and midrange speakers to change the angle of beaming at will. Parenthetically, in this matter of single-unit twin speaker systems, it may be worth reminding ourselves that the once vaunted virtues of extreme separation in stereo now mean more to the guy who wants to reproduce the sounds of trains going through his apartment or jets going through the stratosphere, or ping pong balls bouncing back and forth across a table, than to the man who wants to hear his music without a hole in the middle.

One may, of course, profitably combine semi-flexible and totally flexible components, provided they are of equal quality. Two of our PLAYBOY record reviewers have done so, to their very great satisfaction. One of them has a pair of individual 30-watt Marantz amplifiers, a Fisher 400-C dual preamplifier, a Thorens C-124 turntable (which incorporates a lighted strobe, a built-in level and the simplest, most accessible leveling screws we've seen), a Grado tone arm whose wood matches the base of the Thorens turntable, a Shure stereo pickup, an Ampex stereo tape player and monophonic tape recorder, a Harman Kardon AM-FM stereo tuner and the nine-foot Jim Lansing Ranger-Paragon. The other reviewer's semi-flexible rig consists of a Bell 60-60 one-chassis combination of paired 30-watt amplifiers and dual preamplifier, a Rek-O-Kut Rondine Sr. turntable, a Shure stereo arm and cartridge, a Scott AM-FM stereo tuner, an Ampex stereo recorder/reproducer and a pair of Altec-Lansing speaker systems.

• • •

Which brings us to the last category of components we're going to discuss, i.e., those which are virtually completely specialized in function, and which therefore comprise rigs of a maximum number of individual units, which accordingly require the maximum amount of wiring -- and usually of storage space -- but offer in compensation the closest thing to individual custom design. Such a rig will consist of two completely separate amplifiers, generally of rather high wattage, which is required by the best-sounding, low-efficiency woofers; a stereo preamplifier, like the aforementioned Fisher, or the featured Fairchild on page 59, or the new Marantz stereo preamplifier which we weren't able to try at this writing, but whose specifications make it sound quite exciting; a selected turntable mounted with an equally carefully chosen arm and cartridge; possibly the best of changers, too; an AM-FM and multiplex (in which both channels come in separately via FM) stereo tuner; a tape deck, and separate stereo speaker systems.

The flexibility potential of such a rig should be obvious. One might start it, for example, by adhering to our injunction to get only the best in mechanical components and those which have actual contact with discs, but going for modest amplifiers easily replaceable later. Or the original rig might have been selected to sound excellent in a small bachelor apartment where 15-watt amplifiers and matching speakers would do -- and could be easily converted for a much larger apartment simply by substituting higher-wattage amplifiers and higher-output speakers, either simultaneously or first one and then the other. A very small, very inexpensive -- and highly useful -- gadget would probably be installed (by simple suction cup) on your turntable, too. It is Electro-Sonic's Dust Bug. It does a very nice job, indeed, of tracking ahead of a pickup and keeping the record dust-free, and if it's doused with the goop that comes with it, it will also clear discs of static charge which attracts dust. When dealing with very light stylus pressure and very small signal -- and the accompanying huge amplification -- a very small amount of dust can make everything you play sound like an LP of the 1812 Overture played at 78, with cannon crackling in all directions.

Whatever you get, whether it's a package, a semi-flexible rig or a highly specialized assemblage of individual components, if you've equipped yourself well, you will discover that the new stereo discs and the new stereo equipment have the magical quality of aurally disappearing between you and the performers -- who seem miraculously not merely to have entered your living room, but rather to have transported you into their presence, so that you hear not high fidelity equipment, but the sounds as they are, live, in the hall where they were initially played. It's all worth it.

Dedicated stereo buffs generally prefer to choose components with an eye to specialization of function; that is, two amplifiers (each on its own chassis), a control center-preamplifier unit, two separate speaker systems, a tuner to receive AM or FM singly, or together for stereo, with an adapting jack for multiplex reception, etc. Filling the bill in tuners are (1) the Grommes 103 GT Premiere, with center channel meter to simplify tuning; $190.

(2) Heathkit PT-1 with tuning meter for both AM and FM bands; $90 in kit form.

(3) Harman Kardon T224 Duet with indexing scale to identify 6 stereo AM-FM stations $115.

(4) H. H. Scott 330-C stereo tuner boasts automatic gain control; $245.

Fine tone arms and arm-and-turntable combinations--all designed for stereo--include (5) the Pickering 196 Stanton arm with single frictionless pivot bearing; $30.

(6) Electrosonic Gyro/Balance arm uses ball bearings; $35.

(7) Loewy-designed Fairchild 282 arm requires no arm rest; $43.

(8) Rek-O-Kut N33H turntable with self-lubricating motor, and Rek-O-Kut S 120 stereo arm; $118 complete.

(9) Thorens TD-124 turntable has built-in strobe unit; $114, is here mounted with a Grado 12" stereo arm; $30.

(10) Presto T-18AH turntable with hysteresis motor; $156, shown with Shure M-212 stereo arm and cartridge; $90.

Excellent individual speaker systems (you'll need two) include (11) JansZen Z 300 with an 11" cone woofer coupled with an electrostatic tweeter; $204 each.

(12) Jensen SS-100 system employs separate speakers for low, mid and high ranges; $180 each.

(13) AR-3 incorporates the AR-1 air suspension woofer system with new tweeters for mid and high ranges; $216 each.

Separate control center-preamplifiers include (14) Madison Fielding 340 with a mixer switch which permits combination of any two compatible signals for recording or playback; $168.

(15) Alteclansing 445A with 12 inputs and ganged volume and contour controls; $209.

(16) H. H. Scott 130 includes outputs for a third channel; $190.

(17) McLntosh preamp features full tape monitoring facilities; $250. Your pair of power amplifiers can be tucked away out of sight and controlled by your preamp-control unit.

(18) H. H. Scott 250 is a 40-watt job; $130 each.

(19) McLntosh 30-watt amplifier has less than .5% harmonic distortion; $144 each.

(20) Marantz 40-watt amp has built-in circuit meter for testing; $198 each.

(21) Bogen 70-watt amplifier; $130 each.

Each of these portable tape recorders records and plays back stereophonically and can be adapted to new stereo tape cartridges. (22) American Concertone's Mark VII accommodates 101/2" reels, weighs only 39 lbs.; $840 with case.

(23) British Ferrograph 88 features twin recording amps, twin playback preamps; $595.

(24) Tandberg 5 plays tapes at three speeds; $400. (All equipment in scale.)

Those desiring to combine several different stereo components on one chassis may well select from the fine gear at the left, grouped according to major function. AM-FM tuner /preamp combinations include (1) Pilot FA-690 with independent channels for stereo AM-FM; $270.

(2) Harman Kardon Concerto TP-200 has provision for FM multiplex adapter; $190. Twin power amplifiers on one chassis include

(3) the Grommes Premiere 240 with two separate 20-watt amplifiers; $110.

(4) Harman Kardon HK 250 25-watt stereo power amplifier; $100.

(5) Alteclansing 345A 30-watt stereo amplifier with individual channel volume controls; $270.

(6) Garrard RC 88 stereo record changer with four speeds and its own tone arm; $60 with base.

(7) Miracord XS 200 stereo changer features push-button controls, can also be used as a turntable; $77 with base.

Preamp/amp combinations with integral controls include (8) Sherwood S-5000 with twin 20-watt amps; $195.

(9) Harman Kardon A250 Epic 25-watt stereo; $193.

(10) Bogen DB 230 has 30-watt stereo output; $178.

(11) H. H. Scott 299, rated at 20 watts for stereo; $220.

(12) J. B. Lansing Ranger-Metregon is 6 ft. long (shown here in same size ratio as packaged units at right), contains pairs of low and high frequency drivers, exponential horns and a crossover network; $1038.

Want stereo in your digs all handsomely packaged and ready to plug in? Among the best in their price ranges are (13) the Admiral 671 Titian complete with AM-FM stereo tuner, 8 speakers, two amplifiers, control center, automatic record changer and slave speaker (not shown); $675 in walnut.

(14) Zenith 119 with slave speaker (not shown) has four speakers, two 20-watt amplifiers and a Cobramatic stereo changer; $325 in walnut.

(15) Columbia Masterwork consists of AM-FM stereo tuner, twin amplifiers, two-speed stereo tape recorder, program clock to operate recorder automatically, Garrard RC 88 changer, self-contained twin speaker systems and record storage space; $2200 in ebony.

(16) Ampex Signature includes Ampex 960 tape deck, an AM-FM stereo tuner, twin 30-watt amplifiers, two self-contained speaker systems, control panel, and Garrard RC 88 changer; $2600 in walnut.

(17) Grundig -- Majestic SO-132 includes two shortwave bands, AM-FM stereo and a four-speed stereo changer, plus control panel and self-contained speaker systems; $500 in walnut with cherry finish.

(18) RCA Victor Mark III incorporates twin amplifiers, a control panel, AM-FM multiplex tuner, a four-speed RCA record changer and four speakers plus slave speaker unit (not shown); $575 in walnut.

(19) Fisher Futura II uses independent AM-FM channels for stereo reception, each with tuning eye, twin 20-watt amplifiers, a complete control center and a Garrard RC 88 changer; $895 in walnut.