 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
OCTOBER 2007
I was in my local library not too long ago and was browsing through the
CDs. I rarely borrow library CDs since they tend to be in wretched
condition. (What is it about borrowing something for free that exempts
the borrower from having to take reasonable care of it?) To my surprise, I
found an SACD in the bin. It was the Pentatone hybrid SACD of the
Shostakovich 5th and 9th Symphonies; and it was in new condition.
(Pentatone Classics PTC 5186 096) As it happened, I had the SACD of the
5th Symphony by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mstislav
Rostropovich, sitting at home. (LSO Live LSO0550) I just had not gotten
around to listening to it. I thought it might be interesting to compare the
two recordings so I whipped out my library card and took the Pentatone
SACD with me.
I absolutely loved the Pentatone recording. What I know about the
Shostakovich 5th Symphony, I learned from the liner notes but I thought
the sound was great and the music interesting and involving. The
recording was spacious and dynamic; individual solos were easy to follow.
It was a real pleasure to listen to. I wish I could say something insightful
about the performance or interpretation but that will have to wait until I
can be reincarnated as a reviewer for Gramophone.
I removed the Pentatone disc when it finished, inserted the LSO disc, then
sat back to listen to how it compared. Well, it was jarring to say the least
like going from an SACD to a table radio. The spacious quality was gone
and where the Pentatone SACD had brought ease and refinement to the
music, the sound was now noticeably constrained and edgy by
comparison. I got up and walked over to the Sony SCD-C333ES to see
what was going on.
The Sony’s display indicated that I was listening to a CD, not an SACD.
This struck me as odd since the Sony defaults to the SACD layer of any
hybrid disc. I pushed the SACD/CD button but nothing happened. The
Sony flashed me a message saying “No hybrid layer.” I looked down at the
Perpetual Technology pair below the Sony and its led display indicated that
it was locked on a CD signal as well. I pushed the SACD/CD button a
couple more times but nothing changed so I removed the disc from the
player.
The disc was clearly marked as an SACD but it had the bright shiny silver
color of a CD. All of the SACDs that I have seen are more of an amber
color.
Clearly what I had was a mis-marked CD.
I have perhaps over-exaggerated the difference between the SACD and CD
sounds that I heard but going from the ease and naturalness of the SACD
to the CD was a lot like taking a big swig of lemonade only to discover that
the sugar had been omitted. On its own, the CD sounds quite good but
not by immediate comparison.
The customer service people at BMG sent me an actual SACD but by then I
no longer had the Pentatone to compare it to. If you purchased this or
other LSO SACDs, you might want to look them over and make certain
that they are actually SACDs.
SPEAKING OF SACD
I thought the Stereophile review of the Marantz SA8001 SACD player by
Jim Austin in the October 2007 issue was one of the best reviews I have
read in a long time. It had a refreshing honesty about it and provided the
one thing that audiophiles want most from a review—a comparison to other
similar components. I am well aware that the biggest weakness* I bring to
anything I write about is the lack of other equipment to compare it to. We
all want to know if a component is better or worse than its competition.
Jim Austin’s review compares the Marantz SA8001 player to a Benchmark
DAC1 and Marantz SA-15S1 player. While I have not heard the
Benchmark, I have read so many reviews of it that, like the Rega Saturn CD
player, any reference to it immediately provides an idea of where the
compared component falls in the hierarchy of CD playback. As someone
who cannot go to my local dealer to hear anything, I really appreciate this
type of comparison.
Not too surprisingly, Mr. Austin did not hear vast differences between the
three components. This is the same situation many of us face who have
very good systems. The question of which component will actually be an
improvement, not just sound slightly different, is the reason we read
reviews. At least Jim put these three components into a context that was
useful for virtually every reader.
I really liked the way this review was done and I felt that I had to encourage
more reviews like it.
What I would really like to see is the same component reviewed by several
reviewers independently. The late Listener and The Absolute Sound used
to do this and I think it really benefits the reader.
KEEPING A LOG
Last February, I started keeping a log of the time I spend listening to my
main system. I started doing this when I received the Rogue Stereo 90
back from repair and wanted to know, for break-in purposes, just how
many hours I was actually putting on it. I have a small lined notebook and
write in the date and approximate number of hours that I listen on any
given day. I note when I put in new tubes or other components that need
break-in time, such as AC cords, as well. Instead of estimating how many
hours I have on a component, tube, or cord, I can actually add it up with
reasonable accuracy. This has eliminated a lot of guesswork and I wish I
had started doing this sooner. If I listened every single day for eight
hours, I would not need this information but as I listen somewhat
sporadically, having this data is very useful and not as retentive as it
sounds. Really, it’s not.
THE JOYCE HATTO HOAX
There is a very interesting article in the September 17, 2007 New Yorker on
the Joyce Hatto hoax. In very brief, William Barrington-Coupe issued
recordings on his small Concert Artist record label purported to be by his
wife, pianist Joyce Hatto. In fact, the recordings were by a variety of other
very talented pianists and passed off as Joyce’s. Joyce Hatto was regarded
by piano enthusiasts as an amazing discovery both for her virtuosity and
versatility. In fact, it is unclear whether any of the recordings claimed to be
Joyce Hatto’s are actually hers. If you have not heard of this situation, the
New Yorker article is a very good starting point. Wes Phillips in Stereophile
wrote about this matter on their website last February.
http://www.stereophile.com/news/021907hatto/
Another good website to check out for the details of this affair is:
http://www.pristineclassical.com/HattoHoax.html.
Gramophone embarrassed itself rather badly in this whole affair. A review
of Joyce Hatto’s recordings in the Awards 2006 issue begins, “Recorded
between 1990 and 2004, these performances are reissued in brilliantly
refurbished and clarified sound, forming part of a 100-CD discography.
Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that no other pianist, male or female,
would even have considered such a comprehensive undertaking.”
The review continues, “Doubting Thomases, of which there are apparently
many, may well wonder how Joyce Hatto achieved such unalloyed mastery
and musicianship when tragically beset with ill-health. But others will surely
celebrate an awe-inspiring triumph of mind over matter, of the indomitable
nature of the human spirit.”
And the review ends, “Joyce Hatto may well be ‘the greatest pianist that no
one has ever heard of;’ her work demands a book rather than just a
review.”
Or possibly criminal charges?
There are many more articles on the web, just Google “Joyce Hatto.”
MOFI GOLD
I have the Mobile Fidelity gold CD of Dark Side of the Moon and I
occasionally check out eBay to see what these are selling for. A used CD,
that did not look nearly as nice as mine (of course), sold for $61.00 and a
sealed copy went for $189.90! I cannot remember what I actually paid for
my copy, but I think it was around $14.99. Who foresaw these CDs
appreciating like this? Not me.
Kent Johnson
September 30, 2007
*Upon reflection, this may not be an absolutely true statement.
I was in my local library not too long ago and was browsing through the
CDs. I rarely borrow library CDs since they tend to be in wretched
condition. (What is it about borrowing something for free that exempts
the borrower from having to take reasonable care of it?) To my surprise, I
found an SACD in the bin. It was the Pentatone hybrid SACD of the
Shostakovich 5th and 9th Symphonies; and it was in new condition.
(Pentatone Classics PTC 5186 096) As it happened, I had the SACD of the
5th Symphony by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mstislav
Rostropovich, sitting at home. (LSO Live LSO0550) I just had not gotten
around to listening to it. I thought it might be interesting to compare the
two recordings so I whipped out my library card and took the Pentatone
SACD with me.
I absolutely loved the Pentatone recording. What I know about the
Shostakovich 5th Symphony, I learned from the liner notes but I thought
the sound was great and the music interesting and involving. The
recording was spacious and dynamic; individual solos were easy to follow.
It was a real pleasure to listen to. I wish I could say something insightful
about the performance or interpretation but that will have to wait until I
can be reincarnated as a reviewer for Gramophone.
I removed the Pentatone disc when it finished, inserted the LSO disc, then
sat back to listen to how it compared. Well, it was jarring to say the least
like going from an SACD to a table radio. The spacious quality was gone
and where the Pentatone SACD had brought ease and refinement to the
music, the sound was now noticeably constrained and edgy by
comparison. I got up and walked over to the Sony SCD-C333ES to see
what was going on.
The Sony’s display indicated that I was listening to a CD, not an SACD.
This struck me as odd since the Sony defaults to the SACD layer of any
hybrid disc. I pushed the SACD/CD button but nothing happened. The
Sony flashed me a message saying “No hybrid layer.” I looked down at the
Perpetual Technology pair below the Sony and its led display indicated that
it was locked on a CD signal as well. I pushed the SACD/CD button a
couple more times but nothing changed so I removed the disc from the
player.
The disc was clearly marked as an SACD but it had the bright shiny silver
color of a CD. All of the SACDs that I have seen are more of an amber
color.
Clearly what I had was a mis-marked CD.
I have perhaps over-exaggerated the difference between the SACD and CD
sounds that I heard but going from the ease and naturalness of the SACD
to the CD was a lot like taking a big swig of lemonade only to discover that
the sugar had been omitted. On its own, the CD sounds quite good but
not by immediate comparison.
The customer service people at BMG sent me an actual SACD but by then I
no longer had the Pentatone to compare it to. If you purchased this or
other LSO SACDs, you might want to look them over and make certain
that they are actually SACDs.
SPEAKING OF SACD
I thought the Stereophile review of the Marantz SA8001 SACD player by
Jim Austin in the October 2007 issue was one of the best reviews I have
read in a long time. It had a refreshing honesty about it and provided the
one thing that audiophiles want most from a review—a comparison to other
similar components. I am well aware that the biggest weakness* I bring to
anything I write about is the lack of other equipment to compare it to. We
all want to know if a component is better or worse than its competition.
Jim Austin’s review compares the Marantz SA8001 player to a Benchmark
DAC1 and Marantz SA-15S1 player. While I have not heard the
Benchmark, I have read so many reviews of it that, like the Rega Saturn CD
player, any reference to it immediately provides an idea of where the
compared component falls in the hierarchy of CD playback. As someone
who cannot go to my local dealer to hear anything, I really appreciate this
type of comparison.
Not too surprisingly, Mr. Austin did not hear vast differences between the
three components. This is the same situation many of us face who have
very good systems. The question of which component will actually be an
improvement, not just sound slightly different, is the reason we read
reviews. At least Jim put these three components into a context that was
useful for virtually every reader.
I really liked the way this review was done and I felt that I had to encourage
more reviews like it.
What I would really like to see is the same component reviewed by several
reviewers independently. The late Listener and The Absolute Sound used
to do this and I think it really benefits the reader.
KEEPING A LOG
Last February, I started keeping a log of the time I spend listening to my
main system. I started doing this when I received the Rogue Stereo 90
back from repair and wanted to know, for break-in purposes, just how
many hours I was actually putting on it. I have a small lined notebook and
write in the date and approximate number of hours that I listen on any
given day. I note when I put in new tubes or other components that need
break-in time, such as AC cords, as well. Instead of estimating how many
hours I have on a component, tube, or cord, I can actually add it up with
reasonable accuracy. This has eliminated a lot of guesswork and I wish I
had started doing this sooner. If I listened every single day for eight
hours, I would not need this information but as I listen somewhat
sporadically, having this data is very useful and not as retentive as it
sounds. Really, it’s not.
THE JOYCE HATTO HOAX
There is a very interesting article in the September 17, 2007 New Yorker on
the Joyce Hatto hoax. In very brief, William Barrington-Coupe issued
recordings on his small Concert Artist record label purported to be by his
wife, pianist Joyce Hatto. In fact, the recordings were by a variety of other
very talented pianists and passed off as Joyce’s. Joyce Hatto was regarded
by piano enthusiasts as an amazing discovery both for her virtuosity and
versatility. In fact, it is unclear whether any of the recordings claimed to be
Joyce Hatto’s are actually hers. If you have not heard of this situation, the
New Yorker article is a very good starting point. Wes Phillips in Stereophile
wrote about this matter on their website last February.
http://www.stereophile.com/news/021907hatto/
Another good website to check out for the details of this affair is:
http://www.pristineclassical.com/HattoHoax.html.
Gramophone embarrassed itself rather badly in this whole affair. A review
of Joyce Hatto’s recordings in the Awards 2006 issue begins, “Recorded
between 1990 and 2004, these performances are reissued in brilliantly
refurbished and clarified sound, forming part of a 100-CD discography.
Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that no other pianist, male or female,
would even have considered such a comprehensive undertaking.”
The review continues, “Doubting Thomases, of which there are apparently
many, may well wonder how Joyce Hatto achieved such unalloyed mastery
and musicianship when tragically beset with ill-health. But others will surely
celebrate an awe-inspiring triumph of mind over matter, of the indomitable
nature of the human spirit.”
And the review ends, “Joyce Hatto may well be ‘the greatest pianist that no
one has ever heard of;’ her work demands a book rather than just a
review.”
Or possibly criminal charges?
There are many more articles on the web, just Google “Joyce Hatto.”
MOFI GOLD
I have the Mobile Fidelity gold CD of Dark Side of the Moon and I
occasionally check out eBay to see what these are selling for. A used CD,
that did not look nearly as nice as mine (of course), sold for $61.00 and a
sealed copy went for $189.90! I cannot remember what I actually paid for
my copy, but I think it was around $14.99. Who foresaw these CDs
appreciating like this? Not me.
Kent Johnson
September 30, 2007
*Upon reflection, this may not be an absolutely true statement.