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| Letters -- May 2006 Editorial May 30, 2006 Editor, I just wanted to commend you on your recent editorial ("Jeff Fritz's Way to Build a Stereo System"). I couldn't agree with you more wholeheartedly. I personally don't know if audiophiles are ever going to get it (similar to the RIAA). Craig Problems with high-resolution audio May 23, 2006 Rad Bennett, I read your article "More Uses for SACD and DVD-Audio" and found it very informative, but it seemed to avoid some of the issues I have with both formats. The biggest is the lack of proper bass management on most players, the lack of information on full-range signals and where they are going (I still run into people who are getting full-range signals to their subwoofer), analog-only output for most players, lack of time alignment, dB settings, and watermarking. I also find that no one wants to talk about the limitations of recording-studio equipment like microphones, and old habits like 16- or 20-bit transfers. I was going to buy a Denon 3910 to complement my 3805, but the price and lack of content that I like has really killed my enthusiasm for either format. I find it hard to make any real judgments because all of the music I am intimately familiar with is not available in high resolution for an A/B comparison. Will any of these get better? Will the content providers ever agree on a secure digital connection that is not proprietary and does not cost a mint? Or will the new HD video formats make all of this pointless as audio to match is developed? Brad Westcott I can understand your frustration. The makers of hardware and software have made it overly complicated for a listener to switch over to SACD or DVD-A. At the same time, the makers of MP3 compressed audio systems have made that transition simple. So, what’s selling? MP3. It’s relatively simple, and inexpensive, to have MP3 in the home, while you walk, are in the gym, or in your car. Fueled by the ease of downloading compressed files, most of the American buying public seems more impressed with quantity than quality. Sad, but apparently true. One of the biggest audio salons in D.C., one that I have bought equipment from in the past, announced that last year, for the first time, sales of MP3 were greater than sales of home audio equipment. It looked like the universal player might be the answer, but even those seem to be fading from sight. When I was over at my local Circuit City a few weeks ago, there was not one universal player on the floor. There was only one Sony CD/SACD player for use and no player that could crank out DVD-Audio. All commercial efforts seem to be aimed at video. There were walls of new plasma and LCD monitors, in all sizes and price ranges. The new formats, HD DVD and Blu-ray, are being talked about as video formats. Though either "could" carry high-quality standalone audio programming, I have heard nothing about any software manufacturer going that route, not even a rumor. I do not think SACD and DVD-A will die, but they will become niche products similar to vinyl. Those who want the highest-quality audio, without video, will seek out the equipment and the discs, and indie producers will keep one or the other, or both, formats going. As to repertory, I feel that, considering the roadblocks, there are many interesting SACD and DVD discs available. I don’t know what the particular music is that you cannot find on SACD or DVD-A, but most tastes have been served reasonably well. I pointed out in recent reviews that there are three each of excellent high-resolution recordings of Bach’s suites for orchestra and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. That’s not just one great recording, but a choice. I would suggest you let producers know which recordings you want to hear in a high-resolution format. That is the only way they will know. As to bass management and channel distribution, it is true that, at first, this was a problem, but most newer advanced-resolution players do have bass management. Even if they do not, there is a good chance that your receiver or preamp will. For that reason, most SACD and DVD-A discs now are 5.0, the specific subwoofer channel being dropped because the electronics are handling the crossover points. I have listened to hundreds of discs and never yet encountered one that sent the wrong signal to the wrong speaker. I must assume that if that happens, the six-cable analog connections are not connected properly. And yes, now that it is probably too late, there are HDMI cables that will allow multichannel signals to be carried through just one cable. Another glimmer of hope I have seen is in RCA’s Classic Library series, where older recordings have somehow miraculously been transferred into the DSD realm. Many of the titles in this series sound so close to SACD that I would be hard-pressed to single them out as CDs if I walked into a room not knowing what was playing. Stay tuned. The situation seems to change daily. The public will determine what formats win or lose with its collective pocketbook….Rad Bennett Why Coda? May 19, 2006 Editor, I recently came across your "The World’s Best Audio System" column and I saw that you were using a Coda S100 amplifier with the Wilson speakers. I have long been meaning to ask you (and I know you have had Coda amps before) why, given the fact that you could have chosen the Krell FPB-400cx (now discontinued), which is also class-A 400W, doubling to 800W, etc. and supposedly is synergistic with Wilson, you went with the 100W of class-A from Coda? This is not a trick question for I am considering a Coda 30.1 amp, but Coda's preamps are not as highly regarded. Also, the input impedance is very low on the amps, and I absolutely hate mixing and matching preamps and amps from different manufacturers. So what I would like to know is given that you could have chosen anything amplifier-wise to show off the Wilsons, why the S100 and if you auditioned a lot of preamps to find which would work best into this amp? Unfortunately I do not have the liberty of doing that and I am kind of resigned to the Coda 05r preamp and 06p phono stage if I am going to go with the Coda 30.1 amp. I used to make fun of Krell but recently heard their now also discontinued KCT preamp into the FPB-400cx and was very much surprised -- not at all what I remember of Krell from, say, 1999. The reason I am asking also is that the S100 is showing on Coda's website for $10,000 and the Krell 400cx was also $10,000, so same price, four times the class-A power. I am really looking forward to your reply, so thank you in advance for your time and attention in this matter. Christopher Frank I have indeed been hooked on the sound of the Coda S100 for some time. I’ve had two iterations of that amplifier and it is quite special. But why the Coda over the Krell? I don’t get into specmanship per se -- so the extra watts on paper are meaningless. Just because the Krell is more powerful does not mean that it is a better-sounding amp. The Wilsons are highly sensitive designs, so having extra power is not really an issue. In fact, I have owned the 700Wpc FPB-700cx and although it is a fine amp, it in no way is as good as their long-discontinued Krell Audio Standards at 400W each. But back to Coda; their preamps are quite good. Paired with their amps, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I would suggest that you inquire about the S12 as an alternative to the 30.1. The S12 uses the same circuit as the S100 and has a similar sound….Jeff Fritz More Blue Circle, please May 15, 2006 Editor, I'm really hoping that you will get to do another "TWBAS" with Blue Circle products. Yes, I know that Marc Mickelson just reviewed the BC208s on SoundStage!, but as your "Opinion" states, things happen when products are all from one manufacturer. Get the BC208s, the new reference AG3 KzPz preamp and the BC501ob DAC. The preamp isn't on the website except under the forum. It seemed that you really liked the BC206 and 3000 Mk II. However, I think that with the DAC and the new amplification, Blue Circle has taken sound another level up. As much as Marc loved the BC208s, I think a lot of your readers would love to see the entire reference Blue Circle gear reviewed as one to see how it compares to the other giants, especially when those who know Gilbert want to see how much value his products actually have versus the giants. We already know the answer. Ed Chang There is no question that Gilbert’s gear is special. I’d like to see more of it covered on Ultra Audio as well. I’ll contact Gilbert and see what we can get going….Jeff Fritz Simaudio Moon Rocks? May 3, 2006 Editor, In your recent "The World’s Best Audio System" column, which was very entertaining and informative, by the way, I wonder why you did not substitute the Moon Rock amplifiers for the Evolution W-8? The Moon Rocks are the top-of-the-line amplifiers and would seem to fit your system better. Keep up the great work. Rocky I did think about asking for the Moon Rock mono amplifiers. They do seem to be some impressive pieces of hardware. The W-8, however, represents the newest Simaudio circuit advances, namely their Lynx design. Whether this new circuit trumps the obvious hardware advantages the Moon Rocks would hold over the W-8 is a question I can pose to Simaudio -- I just don’t know the answer. Perhaps at a later date the Moon Rocks can pay a visit to the Music Vault and we can both find out the answer to that question….Jeff Fritz
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