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Two Years of the Power Rule A wise man once observed that stresses in social systems are most often resolved through minimal adjustments: the route through cataclysm is rarely taken. Thus, while the doomsayers of the 1950s seemed to have been convinced that major portions of the earth were destined to become radioactive junkyards long before now, the conflicts be tween East and West have been confined to far more manageable proportions. Similarly, while large cities in the U.S. surely are having their problems, they have not become the uninhabitable pestholes that those with a penchant for sensational pessimism had foreseen. The situation is, we suspect, much the same with respect to the FTC amplifier power rule, which has been in effect roughly two years. Proponents of the rule saw it as a significant step in bringing about the millennium for consumers, who would henceforth be protected against unscrupulous high fidelity manufacturers bent on convincing the unwary that one watt was two, or four, or more. Opponents felt that the rule would harm the consumer by raising the cost of equipment without providing any benefit. From what we can see, few of the predicted effects have materialized. Amplifiers are not significantly higher in cost than they were before, and the increases in performance are just about what we would have expected over a two year period without the intervention of the federal government. Whether it was the detested one-hour preconditioning (which the FTC watered to innocuousness when it decided to permit thermal cycling) or concern for conservation that prompted companies like Hitachi, Soundcraftsmen, and Threshold to design relatively power-efficient circuits is hard to say, but these developments have been welcome nonetheless. One thing the FTC did accomplish was near-total banishment of "music power," a concept that it apparently considered useless other than as a vehicle for inflated power claims. Yet, since most amps are not used to handle sine-wave power in servo systems, the question of how they be have with a music waveform is quite legitimate. This is especially true for amps that (like Hitachi's Class G) are specifically designed for the kind of peak capability required by music. Perhaps "music power" should be redefined as the peak power the amp can produce on an instantaneous transient, minus 10 dB (to allow for the usual 10-dB peak-to-average ratio of music). Since an amp rated at 20 d8W (100 watts) continuous would probably have a "music" rating only slightly greater than 13 dBW (20 watts), no one then could be accused of inflating specs. Aside from that, we have been lucky-very lucky, considering the obvious lapses of understanding out of which the FTC rules were made. Disaster has not befallen the industry, and research and development do not appear to have been seriously inhibited. Next time the gods of chance might not be so kind. When the Feds deem it necessary to intervene on behalf of the audio consumer, is it too much to ask that they do their homework first? Home Video Cassettes: A Report from the Front Though the moment of single-format truth still seems distant (and, with it, the long-heralded revolution in home entertainment, which we believe must be based on buyer confidence that today's recorder can find parts and tape supplies tomorrow), we sense a new vigor in the way the various bandwagons are being urged toward the fray. Per haps those who hold the reins genuinely think their de signs finally are "final": perhaps they seek to head off the video disc (meaning, primarily, the Philips/MCA format) at some Thermopylae. But motion-and commotion--there is. Sony seems the leader with Betamax. (The earlier U-Matic format, as Sony predicted, has found a solid market in industrial and educational applications and has never been a serious contender for the home market.) Betamax has longevity: some two years on the U.S. market. Its price, about $1,300 in deck form, has therefore set the pace for its competitors, who try, not always success fully, to come in a little lower. Its original recording time of an hour per cassette also has been something to shoot at: Sony itself has outdone that figure in the newest models, which add a half-speed option for twice the recording time with somewhat diminished picture quality. Other companies offering Betamax-format equipment (all with the option), or reported to be considering doing so, include Pioneer, Sears, Zenith, Sanyo, Toshiba, and Aiwa. JVC's format, VHS, offers the two-hour capability that presumably forced Sony's hand in introducing its option. VHS has also been espoused by MGA and Sharp. Mean while, JVC's parent corporation, Matsushita (of Panasonic/Technics fame), has fitted a half-speed option to VHS, making it capable of recording for four hours. Magnavox, RCA, Sylvania, Hitachi, and Curtis Mathes are among those favoring this version. But Matsushita is still producing (via Quasar) its two-hour VX-2000 format, which is not compatible with either version of VHS but, at about $1,000, is among the least expensive decks so far announced. Sanyo, in addition to offering Betamax, still has its own V-Cord II format, which it appears to be alone in pursuing. In Europe there is yet another format espoused by Philips, Grundig, and ITT. Both of these dark horses for the American home market appear more likely to compete with U Matic in institutional use. The camera industry also is interested in video tape: Eastman Kodak and Bell & Howell (the latter working with BASF) appear to be developing formats specifically for use in the field-as opposed to the basically non-portable, AC-operated decks of the other formats. B&H already has announced that it expects to have something on the market at less than $1,000 by Christmas of 1979. But that's a long way off. Like weather forecasts, such announcements seem to lose reliability exponentially with the length of their reach into the future. A field format easily might coexist with a home format, since they serve very different needs. But, long term, we believe it unlikely that multiple home formats can be pre vented from consuming each other. May the best one win-and quickly! Also . . . Audio-Technica has announced the winners of its Audio Excellence Awards, a critics' poll meant to identify discs that are outstanding in production, engineering, manufacture, and other important qualities. Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" (Tamla 13 340C2) won in the rock/pop division, while classical honors were taken by "Caruso-A Legendary Performer" (RCA CRM 1-1749), performances taken from discs recorded between 1906 and 1920 and sonically restored by computer techniques (see "Caruso cum Computer," November 1976). Superscope, jumping into the field of reproducer pianos in a big way since the introduction of its Pianocorder, has acquired the Aeolian Corporation, the largest company in the world engaged exclusively in manufacturing and distributing pianos. Aeolian distributes Mason & Hamlin, Knabe, Chickering, and other makes of piano. --------- (High Fidelity, Nov. 1977) Also see: Too Hot to Handle
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