Behind The Scenes (Mar. 1973)

THE YEAR OF 1973 is scarcely a week old and as I write, the advance parties of the various audio manufacturers are arriving in Chicago to set up their exhibits at the first Midwinter Consumer Electronic Show. Well, better them than me, friends. I used to live in Chicago, and I vividly remember those ice-pick winds sweeping in from Lake Michigan. The powers-that-be say they need this new CES at this frigid time of the year, because things are happening so fast in the industry, that the annual late spring shows are too far apart in time to adequately cover new developments. Perhaps they are right. I have heard many pro and con comments from manufacturers regarding the necessity of this new show. I must say however, that I am passing on this show because in my particular areas of interest, my spies tell me that nothing earthshaking is likely to happen.

There have been many pronunciamentos that 1973 will be the year that quadraphonic sound comes into full flower. Well, this is probably what should happen, but in my opinion, when we are nursing our 1974 New Year's hangovers, we will still not have arrived in this golden era. In spite of some ill-considered and premature statements in certain publications claiming that "the quadraphonic battle has been won", there is not at this moment any existing or officially recognized (in the sense of RIAA approval) standard for four-channel sound. Nor can any of the competing quadraphonic systems make any really valid claim to pre-eminence, or the status of an unofficial "standard." What has happened is a certain consolidation of resources in the EV/CBS, QS and CD-4 camps. Each has made advances to the extent that each treats the others with new respect. The battle lines are still drawn, but there are the beginnings of wary communication between the contenders. There have been overtures made with some interesting proposals advanced, even if none of them were given more than polite consideration. The combined discrete/matrix disc has been discussed anew, even though action on this is unlikely now or in the foreseeable future. To top all this, there have been speculative, but nonetheless deeply probing looks at the various video disc systems, which with their very wide bandwidth as compared to audio discs offer interesting possibilities for multi-channel stereo recording. To most receiver manufacturers, alert to this situation, the name of the game is non-obsolescence, and the bolstering of consumer confidence in their products. Thus by the time the regular CES rolls around in May or June, you will almost certainly see receivers with built-in discrete and matrix four channel facilities, or in some cases, at least built-in matrix quadraphonic with provision for discrete four-channel add-on units. In a nutshell . . . coexistence between the opposing camps is the order of the day, at least for the present. Fragile and tenuous though this situation may be, the action of the manufacturers in incorporating all the competing four-channel systems in their units cannot but help to offer some degree of stability to the presently confused situation in the merchandising of quadraphonic products. It is true of course, that consumers who want to use the CD-4 facility built into their units will still have to buy a special phono cartridge for that purpose. As far as the music dealer is concerned, even if this is an interim situation, he is not too badly off.

Today a dealer often carries the same recording as a stereo disc, an open reel tape (sometimes as a discrete four channel tape), an eight-track cartridge, a four-channel cartridge, and a cassette.

If matrix stereo discs and CD-4 discrete stereo discs are added to his inventory, this should not be a particular burden. After all, Columbia and RCA have their own exclusive artists and they rarely interchange talent. If you want an Elvis Presley recording, you buy it from RCA. If you want Streisand, you buy it from Columbia.

Whether the recording is discrete or matrix quadraphonic is of little consequence to the consumer. His present stereo phono cartridge will playback either kind of disc. At a later time if he is so inclined, he can acquire the means for quadraphonic playback of the discs. Everything considered, one must say that the four-channel stereo situation is improving, to the extent that those dealers who have been hesitant about making a vigorous sales effort on quadraphonic sound, can now undertake such a campaign without compromising their integrity, or shortchanging their customers.

Whether one advocates the EV/ CBS, QS, or CD-4 quadraphonic systems, there is no argument on the basic root choice of format for source material. This is of course, a four channel, in-line discrete stereo tape. It makes no difference whether the tape was mixed down from an eight or sixteen or even 24 track recording, or was the minimal straight four channels . . . it is the final discrete four-channel stereo music source that is used to make whatever format of quadraphonic disc. Needless to say, it has long been acknowledged that as far as home listening to quadraphonic sound is concerned, the discrete four channel stereo tape is the tops in quality.

In every field of endeavor, and with almost every kind of product, there always is a super deluxe model . . . the ne plus ultra ... the cat's meow! Recently Vanguard Records has come out with a strictly Rolls Royce quality open reel discrete four-channel stereo tape. This 7 1/2 ips tape is recorded with Dolby B Type noise reduction in both the front and the rear channels. Quite obviously you need two Dolby B outboard boxes of the type manufactured by Advent, Teac, Concord and similar units. To save on cost, you might want to use the least expensive units made by these companies. For example, two of the Advent 101 units can be had for the price of their Model 100. They do an excellent job, albeit without the conveniences of the higher priced unit. It is equally obvious that even this expedient is still a fairly expensive proposition.

The real answer to the playback of these fore and aft Dolby B Vanguard tapes, is in the IC chip of the Dolby B circuit being made by the Signetics Company. Presumably, with the introduction of this type of tape, there would be those manufacturers venturesome enough to incorporate two of these chips into an inexpensive four channel stereo Dolby B Type noise reduction unit. I should emphasize that these Vanguard Dolby B tapes are not experimental. They are commercially available, and I have been told that most of the stores that had the tapes have already re-ordered. Thus encouraged, I think we can look for more of this type of tape from Vanguard. Among titles of the "double Dolby" Vanguard tapes available are . . .

VSS-15 Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony, Stokowski conducting, VSS-l6 Excerpts from Handel's Messiah, VSS-20 A Bach Organ Program, VSS-19 Aquarius (Broadway show tunes), some Joan Baez and Buffy St. Marie material, and two demo tapes with a few sound effects and some Japanese rock! Listening to these fore and aft Dolby B recordings is a revelation, especially rewarding with the classical works, although the Broadway show tunes reel has enough dynamic range to make the use of Dolby worthwhile. What a pleasure it is to listen to the Tchaikovsky 4th and the Messiah tapes, with virtually no tape hiss from the front speakers, nor from the rear. These are true four channel stereo recordings with the rear channels carrying ambient information. Heretofore, in recordings of this type, the rear tape hiss was not only very distracting, but in some cases was enough to swamp the ambient information! The Bach organ works, which includes the inevitable D minor toccata and fugue, as well as the Fantasia and fugue in G, is interesting inasmuch as it was recorded in Japan. The organ seems to be along the style of the bigger Aeolian-Skinner installations in this country. In any case it is a fine sounding instrument, and the recording is very well done with a judicious balance between organ definition and hall reverberation.

Stokowski's interpretation of the Tchaikovsky 4th is highly individualistic, which will be praised by some and damned by others with equal fervor! Clean, powerful, strongly detailed sound in an acoustic perspective that seems a mite cramped for such a large ensemble. The Messiah excerpts are outstanding for their cleanness and the ethereal quality of the lovely pianissimos free from the tyranny of tape hiss. All in all, really a memorable listening experience. If you can afford it, discrete four-channel stereo tape with fore and aft Dolby B is the only way to fly!

(Audio magazine, Mar. 1973; Bert Whyte)

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