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Equipment Review Credibility Gap "Can a publication that accepts paid advertising evaluate advertisers' hi-fi equipment without prejudice?" is a composite question formed from a sizable number of reader comments. It deserves an answer in print because experience has proved that one reader letter often represents hundreds of readers' thoughts. Examining AUDIO'S Equipment Profiles over the past six months, we observe that significant shortcomings of equipment were noted in more than 20% of reviews, not to mention minor criticisms. This has elicited such comments as: "... Keep up the objective test reports."--Lester J. Mertz, Trenton, N. J. and "... Why did Equipment Profile 'butter up' [review] after discovering that the manufacturer overrated [specifications]." -- Kenneth Doring, Tonawanda, N. Y. Considering the latter comment, the reader was referring to our summation, which was laudatory with pointed reservations. There are three factors which must be considered here: evaluating specifications, listening/operating tests, and price. Some of the specifications were not met, it is true. But being a shade off did not produce a discernible effect on performance during listening tests. One should recognize, too, that tuner alignment plays an important role in meeting a receiver's rated specifications. Two components may differ in performance. While one component may easily surpass its specifications, another unit, the same model, may fail to meet its specifications by a wide margin. So why fault a model that misses claims by a hair's breadth? The units that AUDIO examines are operating at or near optimum capability. Equally important, however, are the quality-control measures practiced by a manufacturer. Is he maintaining tight control over final inspection? If not, a unit capable of achieving an FM sensitivity of, say, 3µV, may be passed with a 9µV spec. AUDIO cannot answer this for you. No publication can. None of the equipment reviewed in this six month period was deemed wholly unsatisfactory. Aha! a reader might exclaim. Everything can't be that good. And he would be correct. Some equipment does display inherent major faults that realignment, securing additional models for test purposes, and so on, will not overcome. The deficiencies are reported as they fall, so long as a unit can still qualify as high quality merchandise. But when a unit turns out to be altogether second-rate, though we expected it to be a fine piece of equipment, AUDIO does not review it. Space limitations do not leave room to review all the excellent units on the market, let alone inferior ones. In answer to the lead question, YES, we can and do publish unbiased equipment evaluations. The Welte Piano Recordings Many great pianists-Ravel, DeBussy, Mahler, de Falla, Richard Strauss, Saint Saens and Hoffman, among them-made recordings at the turn-of-the century. Special piano rolls, invented by Edwin Welte, a German industrialist, made it possible. The recording device was a special piano that was fitted with a carbon rod extending downward from each key. As a key was struck, a rod dipped into a tray of mercury, completing an electrical circuit. This activated a rubber wheel which was inked with graphite. Turning against a roll of aged, tissue-thin paper, the wheel marked the paper faintly if a key was struck softly or with stronger marks on fortissimos (where the carbon rod sank deeper into the mercury, increasing current flow). A playback device, called the Vorsetzer, placed at the keyboard of any piano, plays back the rolls. It resembles an upright piano, but has 88 "fingers" extending from it. Sound reproduction is said to encompass every shade of dynamics of the original The Welte Legacy series, first released on discs in 1963, and available through the Book-of-the-Month Club, will soon be available from Ampex Stereo Tapes on open reel magnetic tapes. A.P.S. (Audio magazine, Jan. 1968) Also see: How Disc Masters Are Made Today (Nov. 1969) = = = = |
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