Fitting Out for Twin-Eared Sounds

The most Important Recent Development in the world of high fidelity is, of course, the long-awaited debut of stereo, or multiplex, FM. For the benefit of anybody who may have tuned in late, we should explain that the FCC in Washington has finally put its seal of approval on a method for broadcasting stereophonic program material over a single FM carrier signal. The technique by which one station can broadcast two separate channels is called multiplexing. It involves transmitting a combination of left and right channels on the main carrier, while a subcarrier transmits the "difference" between the two channels. An ordinary FM radio -- sensitive only to the main carrier -- will continue to give forth mono sound in proper balance; a stereo FM radio -- with its built-in multiplex circuitry designed to decode the subcarrier -- will sort out the left and right channels and pipe them into your stereo speakers. This sounds complicated, and it is; but it does seem to work with startling success. The bugs that plagued some of the early stereo FM transmissions -- excessive background noise, capricious separation, and the like -- have apparently been eradicated. And with more and more FM outlets converting to stereo all the time, we see nothing but fair sailing ahead. You'll find an abundance of stereo FM tuners, and of multiplex adapters for existing mono tuners, already in production by the major component houses.

Although stereo FM has been hogging most of the limelight in recent months, a couple of other new developments are worth reporting. The trend toward miniaturization of high fidelity componentry seems to be gaining momentum. It's true that most of the large manufacturers are still giving transistors a wide berth -- on the principle that the transistor's superiority in the audio field has yet to be proven -- but a couple of the smaller outfits are concentrating on transistorized equipment exclusively, presumably to some profit. Whatever the electronic pros and cons of transistors versus vacuum tubes, there's no doubt that transistorized gear has definite advantages when space is at a premium. Omega Electronics' 60-watt stereo control amplifier, for instance, measures a slim three inches from top to bottom; and since transistorized equipment runs cool, you don't have to worry about ventilation. Speaker systems are shrinking in size, too. The Rek-O-Kut/Audax Sonoteer system manages to sequester five speakers in an enclosure that measures four inches from front to back; Jensen's 3-P Thin Line system (also with five speakers) is even thinner. It's only fair to add that some strong differences of opinion exist as to the feasibility of extracting adequate bass response from speaker systems this small. We'll duck the fight and propose that you listen for yourself. The question of balancing off compact size against the ultimate in performance is a purely personal equation, anyway.

We note also a continuing trend toward compact, low-cost, integrated turntable-arm combinations. The British Garrard people did the pioneering in this area a couple of years ago with their excellent Type A Automatic Turntable. Now there are competing units from Miracord, ESL and Acoustic Research -- all of them beautifully engineered and all costing in the neighborhood of $100 complete with cartridge. Some superb new cartridges are available, too -- high in compliance, minute in mass, capable of lifting master-tapelike sounds from a well-cut stereo groove.

In the early, uncluttered years of high fidelity, the problem of housing componentry never seemed much of a problem. A foot of shelf space for your record changer, some obscure cranny for a low-powered amplifier, a corner for the speaker -- and you were in business.

But soon sonic complications set in. FM broadcasting began to revive itself, and room had to be found on the shelf for a wide-band tuner. Then, since good radio fare is worth a repeat performance, more space had to be found for a tape recorder. Next, the compact 10-watter was retired in favor of a many-knobbed control amplifier of impressive power and bulk, while the original changer gave way to a heavy-duty hysteresis turntable with a long, delicately counter-balanced tone arm. By this time the shelf had developed an alarming sag -- and books had clearly lost the battle for Lebensraum. Stereo administered the final blow by booting the inconspicuous folded-horn speaker out of its modest corner and depositing two new acoustic-suspension systems in full view along a prominent wall. From this moment dates the proposition that high fidelity apparatus should be heard and not seen.

For a while, the proposition was simpler to enunciate than to implement. Cabinetry lagged far behind componentry in the first flush of stereo. But today stereo esthetics have caught up with stereo electronics. The handsome phonograph is back in fashion -- and even the all-out fidelitarian will concede that you can have your decibels and decor, too.

The freestanding equipment cabinet undoubtedly serves as the most popular and widely applicable contrivance for getting stereo gear out of sight and into logical operating arrangement. It can be small or large, plain or fancy, cheap or expensive -- according to your needs, taste and bank account. An economy-bent do-it-yourselfer (in this case, a finish-it-yourselfer) can spend as little as $62.50 for a nifty cabinet from Allied Radio that houses two pieces of electronic gear (generally, a tuner and control amplifier), a changer or turntable, a few dozen records, and two bookshelf-size speaker systems at a separation of five feet. On the other hand, the affluent can go to a custom cabinet house (for example, Gray Sound Corporation in New York City) and spend $800 or so on an individually designed behemoth that stretches nine feet in length and hides speakers, audio electronics, TV screen, and a posh bar behind disappearing tambour doors of the rarest tropical hardwoods.

Between these extremes there exists a wide selection of good-looking cabinetry in the $100 to $300 range. Bozak's Urban equipment cabinet ($185), which we've shown on page 48, falls into this middle category. Its lines are simple, its construction solid, its internal layout well conceived. Tuner, preamp and power amplifier are panel-mounted behind the left door; records or tape-player go behind the right door; a changer or turntable nestles into a well beneath a lift-top on right. Speakers in separate enclosures flank the cabinet on either side. Altogether a dandy choice for contemporary quarters. But it's by no means the only choice. Fine stereo furniture is being turned out in profusion these days, and with most of it you can't go wrong. The chief things to demand are adequate ventilation (even the Magic Fire Music sounds better when your equipment isn't overheating), easy accessibility (tubes do have to be changed from time to time), and provision for an occasional upgrading of your gear (a properly designed box -- one with removable mounting panels, for example -- will not box you in).

Of course, the equipment cabinet isn't the only answer to the problem of stereo housing. If you're decorating your pad from scratch, you may find an even better solution in the "music wall" -- which integrates high fidelity equipment into a general storage complex. This is the approach followed by Sherwood Electronic Laboratories in its new Correlaire line of modular units. Here, the equipment and speaker cabinets form part of an integrated assemblage that can include a TV cabinet, a drop-leaf bar cabinet (which comes with a set of glasses -- but no potables), a drop-leaf desk, a buffet (with shelves for dishes, drawers for linen and silverware), and chests and bookcases of various shapes and sizes. Pick the units you need, stack them on Sherwood's modular bases, and you have an attractive wall for stowing away the prime appurtenances of the good life. We've also seen some sleek music walls constructed from the Danish-made Royal System components -- superbly finished teak cabinetry that hangs from long wooden rails affixed to the wall.

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It has been our pleasure recently to gather together a considerable quantity of the new components and to assemble them into four suggested rigs of varying cost and complexity. We submit them as a general guide to the prospective stereo fidelitarian. One of the rigs is a sky's-the-limit deal for the man who doesn't have to look at price tags. The other three can be put together for approximately $500, $1000 and $1500. The operative word is "approximately." Discounting has seeped into the high fidelity trade, and list prices can sometimes be subject to reappraisal -- particularly for the customer in quest of a complete rig. Remember, though, that you'll want your equipment properly guaranteed and serviced -- so be wary of the cash-and-carry dealer who offers a whopping discount and nothing else.

We begin with the man who wants a basic, up-to-date listening system at the lowest possible cost commensurate with decent quality -- a figure which we put at about $500. The kernel of his system is a stereo FM receiver that combines a sensitive multiplex tuner, a flexible stereo control preamp, and a fairly hefty power amplifier all on one chassis. We've chosen the Sherwood S-8000 ($299.50) -- an all-in-one unit that uses 21 tubes (plus four silicon rectifiers) to deliver 32 watts per channel. The record player that feeds into the S-8000's phono input jack is the aforementioned Garrard Type A Automatic Turntable ($79.50), which combines the solidity and precision of a professional turntable with the convenience of automatic changing. Its dynamically balanced tone arm (with a calibrated stylus-pressure scale, of course) will accept practically any cartridge on the market. Our choice is the brand-new Shure M77 Dynetic cartridge ($27.50), an improved version -- in terms of stylus compliance, frequency response, channel separation, output level -- of this firm's much-respected M7D model. A pair of Jensen TF-3 speaker systems ($79.50 each, unfinished) completes the rig. The TF-3 encases a 10-inch woofer, two 3-1/2-inch midrange units, and a high-frequency spherical tweeter in an unobtrusive, smallish enclosure. It's good value for the money. Even so, we find that we've gone over budget by $65.50 and haven't even provided a case for the Sherwood (continued on page 116) Twin-Eared Sounds (continued from page 50) receiver ($7.50) or a base for the Garrard ($4.49). But remember that we're talking list price and that dealers have been known to talk discounts, especially when complete rigs are under discussion.

Before we leave the $500 category, here is an alternate suggestion for the purist who would rather put off FM stereo for the nonce in the interest of getting higher quality in the other departments. He'd be well advised to start off with the ESL Gyro/Suspension turntable -- a four-speed, belt-driven job that can be had with a hysteresis synchronous motor ($79.95 including base) -- and the Dynaco TA-12 unitized stereo pickup ($49.95) with its remarkably smooth Bang & Olufsen cartridge. The stereo amplifier could easily be Harman-Kardon's A-500 ($159.95), which has an output of 25 watts per channel and embodies just about every control and function indicator devised by the hand of man. For speakers we'd choose a pair of AR2As ($109 each, unfinished), which offer a solid bass, bright highs and clean transients. Later on, an FM stereo tuner and a four-track tape deck can be added.

For our $1000 rig we'll assume again that FM stereo is a sine qua non. We'll throw in AM, too (everyone has to go slumming occasionally), and favor the Fisher 800-B AM-FM stereo receiver ($429.50), another all-in-one unit that gives over 30 watts per channel and does a superb job of bringing in noise-free, distortionless stereo broadcasts. (Incidentally, the 800-B has a useful Stereo Beam indicator to tell you when you've hit upon a multiplex signal as you wander over the FM band.) For record-playing equipment our choice goes to some carefully crafted imports. The Thorens TD-124 Transcription Turntable ($99.75, plus base), which comes from Switzerland, embodies such refinements as a variable speed adjustment control, an illuminated stroboscope, and built-in bubble and leveling controls. With this proven and much-admired piece of equipment we've mated the Danish-made Ortofon RMG-309 arm ($59.95) and SPU-GT cartridge ($49.95). Ortofon gear is new to America, but in Europe it has an almost enchanted reputation -- which we can well understand after hearing the magnificent performance of this arm and cartridge combination. Speaker systems? In the indicated price range (that is, around $200 per speaker) there's an embarrassment of choice. We finally settled on a pair of Tannoy Dual Concentrics in the Belvedere Senior enclosure ($223 each). This British import has impressed us as an unusually musical transducer -- open and free in sound, not at all boxy in its over-all effect. But we'll be the first to admit that opinion on speakers is as unpredictable as opinion on women, so consider also the KLH Model 7 ($203 each), a largish acoustic-suspension system; the JansZen Z-300 ($203.50), which marries a two-element electrostatic tweeter to an 11-inch cone woofer; and the Fisher XP-4 ($199.50), in which the woofer is molded directly onto the enclosure for improved bass.

The man with a thousand dollars to spend may happen to put a higher priority on four-track tape than stereo FM -- quite justifiably, too, if he lives in an area where stereo FM has yet to take hold. Should this be the case, we recommend a Scott 299-C stereo amplifier ($224.95), with its comfortable 36 watts per channel, in place of the Fisher 800-B. The $200 thus saved can be invested in a Tandberg Model 65 tape player ($199.95), which handles both two and four-track tapes at 7-1/2 and 3-3/4 ips for playback only.

So we're now up to $1500 and no longer concerned about either/or decisions. At this figure the fidelitarian can have just about everything. We'll start him off with the Empire Troubadour turntable-arm-cartridge combination ($200), which will track nicely at a stylus pressure of one gram and is as free from rumble and flutter as anything on the market. For tape equipment we've favored the Bell T-337 ($369.95), a four-track stereo record/playback unit that's operated via a panel of convenient piano keys. It's foolproof, handsome and ruggedly made. Because the Bell T-337 is a recording as well as a playback unit, a good microphone for home taping scssions is indicated. The Electro-Voice Model 664 ($95 each) gets our nod because of its cardioid pickup pattern and solid construction. Stereo FM reception is handled by the H. H. Scott Model 350 Tuner ($199.95), a wide-band unit typical of this company's penchant for turning out drift-free, ultraselective radio gear. We've entrusted the remaining electronics to Fisher's X-202-B Master Control Amplifier ($249.50), a 75-watter that has a useful tape monitoring system. For the $1500 man's speakers the choice has fallen on a pair of Bozak B-302As in the Urban cabinetry ($254.50 each). This is a three-way speaker system in an infinite baffle enclosure, and its clean bass and brilliant treble are of the kind to make even the most tone-deaf take notice.

If $1500 will get you "just about" everything in a high fidelity installation, what will everything cost? Well, who cares? This is a damn-the-expense assemblage for the man who has plenty of spare room and spare cash, and it's frankly meant to look as well as sound impressive. To begin with, he will have two record players -- a turntable-arm combination for really spectacular stereo sonics and an automatic changer for somewhat less attentive listening. His turntable is Rek-O-Kut's best, the Model B-12H ($139.95), a massive, precision-tooled affair with a heavy-duty hysteresis motor; the arm, Shure's Model 232 ($29.35), a 12-incher of lovely design; the cartridge, Audio Dynamic's ADC-1 ($49.50), with its extremely high compliance, low tracking force, minute mass and .6-mil tip radius. For the changer we've selected the new Miracord Studio H ($99.50), a neat German import that combines a hysteresis motor with a blissfully smooth changing mechanism. In its mass-balanced (no springs) arm we've put the Pickering 38IE Series Stereo Flux valve cartridge ($60) equipped with three V-Guard stylus assemblies -- .7-mil for stereo, 1-mil for mono LP, 2.7-mil for 78s -- to cover all possible contingencies. The tape recorder is Sony's all-transis-torized Model 777-S ($725), a tidy piece of professional engineering that offers such amenities as Electro Bi-Lateral Heads (the equivalent of six stereo heads, 1-1/2 track and 1/4 track, for the record, playback and erase functions), hysteresis drive motor, remote-control push-button operation, and modular plug-in circuitry. A pair of Shure Model 330 Uni-Ron microphones ($120 each) are included for the home stereo recordist; their generally silken response should please the most perfectionist amateur recording director.

Next in this profligate rig comes the stereo FM tuner, and here our vote goes to the Citation III-X ($319.90), one of the celebrated Hegeman-designed units from Harman-Kardon, somewhat unconventional in circuitry but splendid in performance. For non-FM reception we've included the new National NC-190 receiver ($219.95), a dual-conversion communications set that covers the AM broadcast band and the entire shortwave spectrum (up to 30 megacycles) as well; six major foreign broadcast bands, from 13 to 49 meters, are calibrated on the bandspread dial for easy tuning. For the preamp and the power amplifiers, we've turned to the products of Marantz, a firm that is to audio componentry as Rolls-Royce is to automobiles. The Marantz Model 7 preamp ($264) and Model 9 70-watt power amplifier ($324 each, and you need two for stereo) are at the very pinnacle of the ne plus ultra category. Our money-is-no-problem man obviously lives in spacious quarters (or he can move if he doesn't), so we've had no hesitation in choosing two monster speaker systems for him, the ElectroVoice Patrician 700s ($795 each) with their unique 30-inch woofers. The thunderclap in Das Rheingold really shakes the floor boards when it rolls through these Patricians, and the effect may just possibly arouse a neighbor's ire in the small hours of the morning; to be prudent, then, we've also thrown in a pair of Superex Model ST-M headphones ($29.95) for the occasions when a private sonic world would seem to be in order.

Our only misgiving about this system is that some well-heeled enthusiast may actually go out and order one sound-unheard. Actually, the man who's going to invest this much cash in a super stereo rig should be pretty intransigent about choosing the componentry that most closely suits his particular sonic tastes. For example, instead of the Patrician 700s he might well prefer the J. B. Lansing Hartsfield corner-horn system ($948 each) or the Ranger-Paragon one-unit stereo system ($2102), the Bozak Concert Grand ($550 each), or the Tannoy GRF ($385 each). And in place of Marantz electronics, his fancy could just as readily alight on the equally posh McIntosh C-20 stereo preamp ($234) and MC-240 80-watt power amplifiers ($288 each).

In short, the moral -- whether you're exuding or economizing -- is to listen before you leap. Tailoring a system to your own whims and ways is one of the chief delights of stereo. If our four sample rigs have started you planning one of your own, or upgrading the one you now own, we can write a grateful Q.E.D.