SIGNALS & NOISE (Letters to Editor) (Apr. 1989)

The Lirpa of Luxury

Dear Editor:

Readers of your magazine who are interested in acquiring DAT recorders may be interested in Lirpa Travel's all inclusive three-day DAT shopping tours to Tokyo's glamorous and exciting Akihabara electronics store district.

There, Audio readers will have the choice of more than 30 home, portable, car stereo, and professional models to choose from, and more than 2,000 shops to visit--all within walking distance of their hotel--and for prices lower than you'd expect to pay for a DAT recorder at your neighborhood audio specialty salon.

For example, a Sony TDC-D10 portable sells in some American shops for $3,500. But you can take our DAT shopping express, arranged in con junction with Kintetsu International Express, have dinner at your hotel in Tokyo, and return with a TDC-D10 for an all-inclusive price of $2,700--a savings of $800. Or if you're in the market for a Technics Model SVD-1100 home deck, the savings over the U.S. retail price of $4,000 is $900. Tour prices are good for April 1 only and are based on double occupancy. Departure will be from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, on All-Lirpa Air ways. The actual price of each tour depends on the make and model DAT unit you select.

Here's the itinerary: Check in at ALA's departure terminal at JFK on April 1. Your Boeing 747 Skyliner will whisk you to Tokyo's new Narita air port, landing at 4:15 the following day.

(En route, you cross the International Date Line, an experience savored by all world travelers.) After clearing immigration and customs, board an air conditioned Airporter coach for a trip to the downtown T-CAT terminal, a few minutes by taxi from your hotel, the Washington, located in the heart of bustling Akihabara.

There's time for a leisurely dinner in the hotel coffee shop before turning in for a good night's rest. The following morning, after a typical Japanese breakfast, our experienced guide will direct you through the maze of electronics specialty shops which make up Akihabara, to the one which offers you the best deal on the make and model you have selected. You are, of course, free to do any other shopping you wish in this audiophile's bargain paradise before grabbing a cab back to the T-CAT terminal for your return, via Airporter coach, to Narita airport. Thanks to the International Date Line, you arrive back at JFK only moments after you left Narita--on the same day! The only difference is that you now own the DAT recorder of your choice and have enjoyed a unique shopping experience! Total elapsed time: Just over 72 hours.

Side trips and extensions in Japan are, of course, available from our office--if booked at the time of the initial reservation.

Irene Lirpa

Member, A.S.T.A.

Lirpa World Tours, New York, N.Y.

Remote Control Life Preserver

Dear Editor:

Leonard Feldman's review of the Yamaha CDX-1110U CD player (September 1988) makes note of the seemingly useless remote open/close drawer feature. My Denon DCD-900 also has this feature, and I have always been amused by its presence. However, I thought your readers would like to know that this feature does have an extremely vital function.

One evening a few weeks ago, I had dozed off in my listening chair during Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." I awoke to find a young and rather nervous burglar standing beside my component cabinet, pointing a small-caliber hand gun at me. He half-heartedly squeaked out: "Hold it right there, mister," with a lump in his throat larger than the one that was in my own.

Because I had the remote control for the CD player in my right hand, I quickly remembered the drawer open/close button. I gently pressed it while staring the intruder in the eye. As the drawer opened, it hit the smoked glass door of the cabinet with a loud "thunk" and proceeded to push the door all the way open. The opening door tapped the burglar on the elbow, startling the hell out of him. He turned so quickly that he smashed his thumb against the edge of the glass and dropped the gun on the rug. I shouted, "Get him, Ed," although no one else was in the house. I leaped from my chair to the floor. Expecting Ed, the bewildered prowler turned toward the door; meanwhile, I reached the gun and trained it on him.

A prompt response from the police had the culprit on his way to the hoose-gow in less than 10 minutes.

So, when you smirk at the drawer open/close feature on your CD's remote control, remember that it might save your life some day

-Prof. I. Lirpa; Horse's Breath, Mont.

Quip of a Quote

Dear Editor:

I enjoyed Leigh Silverman's article, "Earning a Deaf Ear: Loud Music and Hearing Loss" (January). However, the lead quote that was attributed to me was a humorous remark of a friend, Dr. Dixon Ward, during one of our ragtag barbershop quartet practices. (Dr. Ward is now a leading researcher in noise-induced hearing loss but worked his way through college by playing piano in a band.) As best I can recall, what he said was: "I think God must protect musicians, or they would have much greater hearing loss than they do." If I didn't attribute the quote to Dr. Ward, who knows a hell of a lot more about hearing loss than I do, I should have.

-Mead C. Killion; Etymotic Research, Elk Grove Village, III.

Dubber's Delight

Dear Editor:

"EQ and NR: Striking a Balance" (August 1988) finally answered some tape deck questions which had been bothering me. First, why didn't Nakamichi provide automatic EQ/tape switching on the BX-300? (Your review of the similar Nakamichi CR-4A deck, in the same issue, emphasizes the freedom-of-choice versus responsibility-for-set up question.) Second, if I still intend to listen to a tape at home, should I re cord in Dolby B or Dolby C NR for a car deck equipped with only Dolby B NR? (Answer: Use Dolby C NR.) Third, is there a lot to be gained by combining Dolby C with dbx NR? (Answer: Advantages are slight.) A great article for button-happy, NR-conscientious tape-o-philes. Thanks!

-David Ochroch; Arlington, Va.

(Source: Audio magazine, Apr. 1989)

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