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

FM in China

Dear Editor:

I really enjoyed Robert Angus' wonderful article, "Audio in China: Hi-Fi Takes a Great Leap Forward" (April). Some of the changes he describes are surprising, even to me, a graduate student who left China only about four years ago. However, Angus mentions more than once that FM stereo does not exist in China. This is not true. Years before I came to the U.S., there were FM stations in the capital cities of most provinces, operating a few hours each day. When I visited my parents in the summer of 1987, I even heard FM broadcasts in some less important cities and more than one in Shanghai.

I agree with Angus that LPs and turntables may gain popularity in the near future. The main obstacle now is the price. Imported LPs, mostly from Deutsche Grammophon and similar labels, cost 40 to 50 yuan each. That is about one-third of a month's income for most people. However, I did see a domestically made LP selling for 15 yuan, though this is still relatively high.

If the labels exporting to China, or prospective exporters, can arrange to sell for about half the current price, I am sure there will be a much higher demand. This is still plausible since the large sales volume will compensate for the price drop-at least I believe so. I hope this opinion is of interest to some recording or equipment companies.

-Mingchang Jiang; Waltham, Mass.

Author's Reply:

Whenever a writer travels to a country as different as China, there is a temptation to think that eight days make one an expert, and to assume that what one sees is somehow frozen in time. In China, I found no equipment which contained an FM band. When I asked why, I was told that there was no need for it, except for export. Before I wrote the piece, I checked the World Radio TV Handbook; it lists AM and short-wave frequencies for China but no frequencies for FM. I have subsequently been informed by the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. that there are FM broadcasts in Beijing and other major cities. I apologize for inadvertently overstating the case.

-Robert Angus

M & K Is Tres Okay

Dear Editor:

Seven years ago, I purchased a pair of SV-200 tower speakers from Miller & Kreisel. I like to hear and fee/ my music. In my enthusiasm, I finally managed to open a midrange voice-coil. (In other words, I accidentally blew the midrange.) I phoned M & K and spoke to a very pleasant, helpful technician.

He explained that my particular midrange was no longer available but said he would be happy to update both speakers with M & K's new midrange.

He also assured me that my SV-200s would sound the same as when they were new.

My speakers were returned to me with new midranges, a new tweeter, new dust caps on the subwoofers, spotless cabinets-even new M & K emblems on the grilles! The speakers had their original great sound, and I was charged only a small amount for the one midrange I fried.

I thought other Audio readers should be aware of the outstanding service and superior product from M & K.

-Timothy Stinson; Ventura, Cal.

Audio FYI

Dear Editor:

Surely Edward Tatnall Canby's trials and tribulations converting that mystery tape given to him by his local historical society could have been alleviated if he had consulted a hi-fi expert ("Audio ETC," June). Did you run this column just to see if we were listening? I have never read an article with so much emphasis on what the writer didn't do, know, or have. He sounded like he was consulting The Audio Farmers' Almanac. The Connecticut area has many audio professionals whom Canby could have asked to ponder this obviously major dilemma. I qualify and volunteer.

First, identify the format. Get some notch filters/equalizers and compressors, and maybe even get a de-esser for a kick. When bouncing to tape for editing, some noise reduction might be fun. A combination of equalization (voice is easy to isolate) and compression/limiting will make the words clear and the levels even. De-essing isn't usually needed because equalization, for this application, has a lower "point" than where sibilant sounds usually "live." Editing will make for more coherent listening. If you must use tape (yech!), noise reduction helps; my preference would be Dolby SR. I would also transfer the old tapes to DAT, then compress, equalize, and edit/sequence while going to another DAT. This gives you a non-degradable master for cassette duplication.

If all of this sounds like overkill, that's because it's "like" professional.

-Tom Christopher; New York, N.Y.

Electro Ecstatic

Dear Editor:

Having been impressed, but not convinced, by what I've read and heard about electrostatic loudspeakers over the years, I was compelled to purchase an abused and orphaned set of Acoustat Three ESLs at a price I could justify for an experiment. When I got them home, I disassembled, inspected, cleaned, and reassembled the speakers before testing them. Under test, I saw some problems with the left panels, but the problems weren't pronounced so I let them go for a while. I literally spent months experimenting with room placement. I think it was six months before I arrived at that "magic" location. Suddenly, there was no doubt I would be keeping these speakers for a long time.

Over the course of another six months, the love affair blossomed, but at last I felt I could part with the speakers for a while. I had already been in touch with Acoustat, who knew that the speakers had been physically and electrically abused and that I was not the original owner. Nonetheless, they seemed eager to address the problems I had discovered.

I shipped the panels to the company for their inspection, sending all six panels on their recommendation. In the meantime, I had arranged for a carpenter friend to build new frames while I went through the transformers. It was a busy time, but on the few occasions I listened to music, my Acoustats were sorely missed.

After four weeks, Jonathan Hart of Acoustat contacted me. He said the testing was over, and they didn't feel any of the panels were performing to spec so they had decided to replace them all. A couple weeks later, I received six beautiful new panels. My carpenter friend had done his homework, and the panels fit perfectly in their new solid-oak frames. I hooked up the transformers and sat back with some new music I had been saving for this moment. The magic was back, with even greater authority, and the visual impact was the icing on the cake.

I wish to stress that Acoustat charged absolutely nothing for their efforts and even returned the new panels to me with the shipping prepaid! I have had good experiences with a number of manufacturers, but I have never experienced this type of service and dedication before. Acoustat and the few other companies who offer such extraordinary service should be recognized for their commitment to music reproduction and to their customers.

-Jerald R. Cook; Colorado Springs, Colo.

Turn It Down

Dear Editor:

As a follow-up to R. H. Coddington's letter on volume levels at rock concerts ("Signals & Noise," March), let me add the following measured average values: Van Halen, 117 dB from row 30, indoors; Beach Boys, 105 dB from row 20, outdoors; Iron Maiden, 122 dB from row 40, indoors; Motorhead, about 130 dB (they overloaded the meter!). Needless to say, I wear earplugs at these events. I agree that new P.A. technology has gone much more toward increasing volume than bettering sound quality-even, sadly, with jazz artists like Miles Davis (107 dB), who sounds worse because of this. I'm just surprised bands don't merchandise earplugs with their logos silk-screened on the sides.

-Ralph Haddock; Aurora, Ill.

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll ... But I Don't Like It

Dear Editor:

I wish Gordon Pyzik had not used the word "music" when writing ("Signals & Noise," March) about how rock and pop music sounds on speakers reviewed in Audio. He should have just said rock and pop, and let it go at that.

The stuff Pyzik is referring to is composed by "composers" who don't know a diminished seventh from an empty fifth. It is played mainly by guitarists who have learned three chords and one rhythm. When they want to change the sound, they have to hire another guitarist.

The vocalists of these groups scream lyrics that don't rhyme and seldom have any redeeming social value.

Plus, they scream at the top of their lungs, in spite of the fact that they are going to be amplified to jackhammer levels before they reach the audience's eardrums. There is some poetic justice in the fact that the ability to hear high-fidelity sounds is soon greatly impaired in players and audience both.

Using the kind of speakers that are usually reviewed in Audio to play rock "noise" to a hearing-impaired audience is certainly a waste of money.

Adequate speakers can be found at any flea market for a price that will remove some of the sting from the cost of replacing overdriven cones.

-John B. Ona; San Diego, Cal.

Another Fine Fix

Dear Editor:

I would like to acknowledge the excellent service I received from Jung-Childress Audio & Electronics. Recently, I purchased a Pooge-4+ modification kit for my Magnavox CDB-560 CD player. I had a problem while installing the kit, and Walt Jung was extremely helpful in resolving it-even though the problem was caused by my error during part of the installation. (Jung-Childress will also install this kit for a nominal charge.)

Once my CD player was working properly, the transformation of the sound from the stock player to the modified one was remarkable. My "new" machine is dramatically superior to the stock player in all areas of performance. In comparative listening, it now outperforms friends' units that are much more expensive.

It is a pleasure to relate a positive experience about an audio company which has such concern for its products and customers. For anyone who is interested, the address of Jung-Childress Audio & Electronics is P.O. Box 36141, Towson, Md. 21286.

--Barry Kohan; Woodland Hills, Cal.

(Source: Audio magazine, Aug. 1989)

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