New-Fi

In this age of affluent overkill, most American industries seem to operate on the premise that each year's model has to be bigger and better—and more expensive. Fortunately, the high-fidelity business remains a maverick. Though it never ignores the top of the line, where price is seldom an objection, it is one of the few industries that year after year offers a consistently better (and usually lighter and smaller) product for less—despite inflation, increased costs and the firmly ingrained belief that it's the American Way to charge whatever the traffic will bear. By way of improvements, in recent years the industry has adapted transistors for use in tuners and amplifiers, improved the operation and increased the number of control features, and chipped away at distortion levels. It currently turns out stereo receivers that cost less and deliver better performance than some of the top-rated amplifying systems of just a few years back. But progress, though steady, brought nothing dramatically new—nothing that would make you perk up your educated ears. Nothing, that is, until the Los Angeles hi-fi show of October 1969, when Scott, Telex/Viking, Crown International and a number of others introduced four-channel—quadriphonic—stereo. At the time, some authorities regarded this development as important as that of stereo itself; others felt that it was vastly overrated. Now, 16 months later, more manufacturers four-channel—quadriphonic revolution and a number of prerecorded-tape manufacturers are turning out four-channel equipment; as a result, the handwriting is on all four walls. Four-channel stereo is not only here to stay, it will dominate the scene in the years to come.

Basically, quadriphonic stereo is two times conventional stereo. To the existing front left and right channels are added rear left and right channels, each carrying a different audio signal. In effect, the natural acoustics of the recording hall are virtually duplicated and the sense of reality is heightened; you not only hear the natural placement of the instruments but, aurally speaking, you are in the hall where the recording was made.

But while we're among the first to admit that four-channel stereo is here to stay, the change-over from conventional stereo to quadriphony is going to take a few years, as did the change-over from mono to stereo. The FCC has to make some decisions on the transmission end (K101-FM, of San Francisco, has been given approval to begin experimental broadcasting in four-channel—the first solo station to do so—but there are at least four different broadcast techniques being considered); and record companies have to agree on recording techniques, as do cassette-tape producers. But four-channel reel-to-reel tapes have been somewhat standardized already and it's in this area that most of the experimentation and product development have taken place.

One of the more recent results to come out of all this research has been what is termed synthesized four-channel. This is a technique in which the standard two stereo channels are fed into an amplifier and then electronically converted to four channels. Although it isn't strictly four separate channels, surprisingly good results have been obtained. Both Sansui and Harman-Kardon have such synthesizers on the market and others are following suit as an interim step prior to the total development and standardization of true four-channel stereo. Marantz is reported to be working on a four-channel receiver, as well as a synthesizer, and the Victor Company of Japan (JVC in the States) has indicated that its entire line will soon be quadriphonic oriented, so that the electronics necessary for four-channel operation can be added by plug-in modules or circuit boards. Top-of-the-line tuners and receivers from a number of other companies will also have provisions for conversion, so that they can receive four-channel broadcasts, once the FCC has approved a system.

Perhaps the most dramatic development of all has been the recent announcement by JVC that it has developed quadriphonic records. According to the vice-president in charge of engineering, one groove will contain the sound necessary for four separate channels. The records will be completely compatible with present-day equipment, though only for stereo effect, not four-channel. In turn, equipment designed to play the four-channel records could also play regular stereo records. JVC's records, decoder and cartridge are currently being evaluated by American record companies, and four-channel discs may be available far sooner than anybody thought—and the success of the quadriphonic revolution will be assured.

Most of the quadriphonic activity, as we've noted, is in the open-reel area and Roberts, Ampex, Sony/Superscope and Astrocom/Marlux, in addition to Teac, Crown and Telex, have decks on the market that are quadriphonic/conventional-stereo compatible.

An example of what's available is Sony/Superscope's four-channel Model 854-4, which carries a price tag of $1395. This tape deck has speeds of 3-3/4, 7-1/2 and 15 ips and features a servo-drive motor and dual capstan drive for precise speed control. The 854-4 can, of course, record and play back four-channel open-reel tapes, more releases of which are being announced each month.

Another noteworthy tape recorder is Roberts' Model 333X, which, while not a four-channel model, features open-reel, cartridge and cassette capabilities all in the same unit. The 333X allows the user to record his choice of format from any external source or to convert open-reel tapes to either of the compact formats. The 333X, which is a complete recorder, not a deck, lists for $559.95.

Not all of this year's innovations are in tape recorders, of course. Fisher's new four-channel AM/stereo FM receiver, the Model 701, includes delay lines to derive the rear two channels from standard stereo input (it will also handle four separate channels), $699.95, while Scott has a four-channel integrated amplifier, the Model 499, which delivers 35 watts per channel RMS and is available at $599.95. The amplifier field is rounded out by McIntosh, which is offering a preamplifier that includes a number of unique and useful features. The Model C-28, according to Mac, offers the lowest signal-to-noise ratio of any unit to date. Among other features are a built-in 8-ohm headphone amplifier and front-panel switching of main and remote speakers through an accessory switching relay. Also on front-panel display are push-button controls for dual tape-recorder facilities. This preamplifier, which retails for $499, allows you to copy from one tape to another, while listening to yet another source (tuner, turntable, etc.) over your speakers.

One of those sources just might be the Concept 2000 turntable, from Revox. A two-speed (33-1/3, 45 rpm) turntable/tonearm combination, with a transparent-plastic base and black-plastic deck plate, the turntable has no regular platter but supports a record at its center and at three points near its circumference. There are also a continuously variable-speed adjustment and illuminated strobe markings for precise speed control; turntable speeds are switched electrically. A spirit level mounted on the deck plate aids in leveling the unit. Price tag for this latest in see-through sound: around $300.

Equally futuristic is Scott's Model 433 Digital Tuner, a unit that goes far beyond what its name implies; it has a good deal more going for it than just a digital readout system instead of a station dial. As a matter of fact, there are no dials on the Model 433 at all. To operate this tuner, a prepunched program card (a complete set for all frequencies is supplied) is inserted into a slot on the front of the unit, which then automatically tunes to the desired frequency. To change stations manually, you depress a button that triggers the tuning-computer network and brings in the next frequency, digitally indicating it on the front of the unit. As long as the button is depressed, the tuner will continue to change frequencies—always, of course, in the same direction. The length of time the Model 433 will pause on a frequency while the station-selector button is depressed can be varied. The tuner is expected to retail for around $600.

Switching emphasis from the receiving and amplifying aspects of your system to the playback, Fisher has introduced a variation on the omnidirectional type of speaker with its WS-80 system—the WS standing for wide surround. Placement of the WS-80 can be anywhere in the room, without the quality of the sound being affected. The speaker cabinet is rectangular, with a tabletop surface across half the top and an upward-pointing woofer, mid-range and tweeter occupying the other half. The woofer and tweeter disperse sound up and out in a 360-degree circle. Sound from the mid-range speaker is deflected by the tweeter cone and also dispersed in a circle. The WS-80, with its 8-inch woofer, retails for $99.95.

California's James B. Lansing has also introduced a new type of speaker system with its Aquarius line. These speakers produce an extremely diffuse, reflected sound that creates a spatial illusion. The sound appears to be coming from an imaginary area behind the speaker system itself, even when units are placed directly against the wall. Since the reflecting panels are actually part of the system, the speakers can be free-standing as well. Like the Fisher WS-80, the quality of the sound they produce is not dependent on their position in the room. Ultramodern in appearance and available in several colors (as well as in oiled walnut), (concluded on page 185) New-Fi (continued from page 100) the Aquarius speakers, which range in price from $168 to $657, are relatively efficient and can be driven by amplifiers rated at only 25 watts per channel.

Among the many other speakers also deserving mention is Rectilinear's Model XII, a three-way bookshelf unit that sells for $139 and sounds like a full-sized floor-standing system. It's a high-efficiency machine, requiring only ten watts to drive it, which means it can be used with some of the less expensive and lower powered amplifiers and receivers.

If you opt for private listening, rather than public, or if your neighbors don't appreciate the unique merits of your system quite as much as you do (at least not when played at full volume), Stanton—a name usually associated with cartridges—has made life somewhat easier for you and them. Their new electrostatic headphones, the Mark III (which include a Model 570 headset and a Model 572 polarizer), are lightweight (14 ounces), comfortable and offer some of the finest earphone sound available, at $159.95. The polarizer, which can be driven by any amplifier rated at ten watts or more, has outputs for two headsets, if you want company while you're music-tripping. Additional headsets cost $75.

For those high-fidelity voyeurs who want to see as well as listen to their stereo sets in action, Kenwood offers a visual device called a Lab Scope. The Model KC-6060A solid-state Audio Lab Scope ($219.95, including cabinet) lets the audio enthusiast view his sound on a miniature TV screen. Not for the novice, the unit allows the serious audiophile to compare his left and right audio outputs, as well as the FM multipath signal for his tuner or receiver.

In case the antics of your multipath signal, as displayed on the Lab Scope, seem too educational and/or limiting, EICO has developed several visual devices designed for entertainment only. Dubbed Light Fantastic units, these audio-activated light displays are attractively styled and present an array of ever-changing and moving colors that vary in intensity as the audio signal changes. One unit is an 18-inch cube, with five illuminated sides, while another is a large, white, translucent crystal ball, 20 inches in diameter, mounted on a pedestal of white opaque plastic—from $49.95.

Not all the news this year deals with the standard components, of course. A totally new sort of unit has been introduced and is an excellent example of the trend toward greater control over sound reproduction. Altec Lansing's Acousta-Voicette stereo active equalizer, which retails for $799, will enable the frequency response of your present system to be altered to compensate for any irregularities introduced by the acoustics of the listening room or for those irregularities present in the system itself. The price includes professional installation (a requirement, since the Acousta-Voicette cannot be adjusted without special instruments). Twenty-four slider-type attenuators are used for each channel to compensate for room acoustics and system inadequacies. But voilà! Once that's done, you then hear the music exactly as it sounded in the Hollywood Bowl, Boston's Symphony Hall or Lincoln Center—wherever it was originally recorded.

Another item in the add-on category is Advent's Model 100 Noise Reduction Unit, a "B-type" Dolby system, designed to reduce hiss in tape recording. Professionals, including most of the prerecorded-tape producers and FM stations, have been using Dolby systems for some time now in making their tapes. The professional unit, as might be expected, is large, complex and expensive. Now Advent has developed the Model 100, which, for a mere $250, will enable the amateur to make quality recordings even at the slow speed of 1-7/8 ips. The Model 100 can be used with any reel, cassette or cartridge recorder—which means you don't have to trade in your present model for one with a built-in Dolby, such as Fisher's new Model RC-80 for $199.95.

During 1971, developments in the home-entertainment field will not be limited to stereo hardware itself. You can, for example, look forward to video-cartridge systems—color-TV monitor/ playback units with off-the-air recording as well as TV-camera options. And there will be some quadriphonic-FM broadcasting over a single radio station (as indicated by the experimental broadcasting on San Francisco's K101-FM) as opposed to the two-station system needed for most four-channel FM broadcasts so far.

Perhaps not this year but not too far in the future is the prospect of stereo TV, at least for the audio portion. In Japan, a number of stations already telecast several hours each week in stereo and, in the U.S., a few TV stations have experimented with using an FM radio station to transmit the audio portion of their video shows in stereo; more work remains to be done.

It's obvious from the developments of the past few years, as well as from the research currently being done in the field, that the realistic, high-quality sound pioneered by the high-fidelity industry has made considerable impact on the world. Close your eyes and the Bol-shoi Ballet obligingly dances across the floor of your living room or your front wall seemingly drops away and you're sitting on the floor of the Fillmore West, grooving to the sounds of the Grateful Dead. The products available from manufacturers today take a giant step toward proving that all can be illusion—and that while the hand may not always be quicker than the eye, the stereo set can be more discerning than the ear.