Just got back from the "Festival Du Son" show in Montreal and had a great time schmoozing with the usual crowd of miscreants. The boys from Soundstage on-line magazine were out in full force so make sure you check out their show coverage at http://www.sstage.com/

Thanks to Terry from Plurison and Vince from Tri-Cell for lunches, and many thanks to Karen Ashbeck from N.B.S. Cables for treating us to an evening of great food, good beer (red), and cool jazz at Biddles!

Most of the two days at the show were spent renewing old acquaintances and hiking up and down the nine floors of the Delta Hotel. I spent the first day checking out the various rooms, paying a visit to each room twice. The second day was spent revisiting the rooms that really grabbed my attention, with the later half of Sunday devoted to final critical listening. And the winners are...

Third place goes to a relatively inexpensive system in the Totem Acoustics room. Upon entering the lair of Vincent Bruzzese one was struck by the lush sounds filling the room. Ah yes, the mighty Manitous must be weaving their magic once again! But wait... what's this?l The Manis are just on static display and these beautiful sounds are actually emanating from the diminutive floor-standing columns hiding in the corner of the room. This amazing little speaker, approximately 5" X 5" X 36", is the newest addition to the Totem family: the Arro. In typical Totem fashion, the Arro throws a huge, deep soundstage with precise, pin-point imaging. The whole system consisted of a Rega Planet CD player ($1200). the Celeste/Moon 15 integrated ($2895), and the aforementioned Arro speakers($1200). Killer audio on a budget!

I'd have to award second place to the Tri-Cell rooms, which featured our own beloved Merlin VSM SE speakers (hey, if I were actually biased they'd be in first place, right?) With their new gleaming red lacquer finish, these babies looked as great as they sounded. Even brand new, fresh out of the box, they were throwing the wide, deep soundstage that they're renowned for. These new SEs seemed to have a richer mid-range and a sense of presence that I hadn't experienced with the Gen 111 version. However, they were definitely not as dynamic as I was used to hearing them at home, probably due to the lightweight KR Enterprises 32B integrated that they were paired up with. The rest of the system consisted of the EAD CD2000 CD player and Cardas Gold Cross cabling throughout.

My first place choice was a tie between the Northstar-Leading-The-Way room and the Audiopathic room.

Northstar flaunting their usual glittering display of Jadis equipment: the 845 amp ($28,000}, two-piece JP80 MC pre-amp ($25,200), and the JD3 CD player ($11,200). All this upstream of the weird but wonderful eyeball-on-a-stick Cabasse Baltic monitor speakers and Strombolli subs ($22,500). The sound in this room was extremely liquid, with a seamless integration of monitor and sub.

Audiopathic was showing a repeat performance of the Verity Audio I Cary system that inspired awe in many an audiophile last year. This year, the Parsifal speakers were upgraded to the Encores ($18,500). which featured a massive replacement for the rear-firing woofer and a cross-over modification. Up front of these were the Cary 805 Signature single-ended 50 watt monoblocks, using 845 output tubes and 300B drivers (another $18,500). The Cary SL74 pre-amp($2495) and the CD 301 CD player ($3999) completed this system. New and notable was the Verity Fidelio, a scaled-back version of the Parsifal. Not quite as dynamic, they didn't make the concrete floor vibrate like the Encores.

Congratulations to all the participants, especially Marie-Christine for organizing another terrific, well-attended, show!

Well, here's some details on
New Stuff From...

BLUE CIRCLE

Gilbert Yeung, chief designer at Blue Circle, has been burning the midnight oil to come up with some new mods to make his products sound even better. The first of such is a bigger, beefier power supply for the BC3 preamp. The BCG3.1 features a stainless steel chassis, HEXFRED diodes, Cardas wiring, and a built-in AC powerline filter module. As for sonics, the soundstage on our reference Blue Circle / Merlin system got even wider and deeper, if you can believe it, and we gained more control and authority in the lower frequencies. All this, coupled with a new transparency that blows away anything I've previously heard! Kudos to both Gilbert and Merlin's Bobby Palkovic for never resting on their laurels and always looking to improve upon products the rest of us thought were already pushing the limits of perfection!

This mod is available to current owners of the BC3 - phone or E-mail us for details on how to trade in your old power supply. The BC3 will still be available as a basic model, with the BCG3.1 being the premium power supply.

More of Gilbert's sonic fantasies and improvements will be detailed in our next publication. Until then, check out his website at
http://www.bluecircle.com.

CAMBRIDGE

Good news for all audiophiles on a budget: the Cambridge CD4SE is finally here! More detailed than the CD4, with more dynamic slam than the CD6, this unit features a new D/A and a brand new transport the Phillips CDM 12.2. Killer digital, all for less than $700!

CELESTE / MOON

For those of you who are enamored with the Moon P5 and W5 combination but couldn't stretch your budget that far, we've got some good news: the P3 and W3 are now in stock. The P3 is a one-chassis version of the P5 preamp featuring one pair of balanced output;, five RCA inputs, one tape loop, and the same distinctive remote of the P5. The W3 is a scaled-down 100 watt version of the W5 with the same liquid harmonics, iron-fisted control, and high current capabilities as its big brother. This combo sells for a few hundred dollars less than the list price of the W5 alone.

If that still doesn't fit your budget, check out the 1-5 70 watt high current integrated amp. This beauty offers amazing, dynamic sound at a reasonable price and comes with Celeste's infamous ergonomic remote (this thing is so hefty you can do wrist curls with it while spinning your favorite discs).

MERLIN

1997 was a year of rave reviews for Merlin, appearing in no less than seven different publications (Soundstage, Positive Feedback, Bound For Sound, Inner Ear, etc.) The VSM was used in four separate rooms at the Vegas '98 show! So this year should also be one of continued growth in recognition of this outstanding loudspeaker.

The new VSM Basic replaces the Gen III / RC. With a complete change in the internal wiring and new crossover components, the Basic is the same price as the Gen III but has more slam and impact, providing a deeper fatter bass along with an even larger soundstage! Gone now is that slight sizzle in the top end, but not at the expense of the glorious inner detail of the Esotar tweeter. Midrange frequencies also seem improved: richer and more detailed. Now even closer to perfection, the VSM is still one of the most harmonic and phase-correct speakers on the market today. The Merlin TSM and VSM are now available in a luxurious high-gloss lacquer finish. Now they are as deep and rich visually as they are sonically! Total eye candy!!

Speaking of which, you've got to feast your eyes on the new VSM SEs in our Merlin I Blue Circle system downstairs. They are a breathtaking oxblood-red metallic lacquer. As anyone who saw these speakers at the Montreal show will tell you, this finish is to die for! As for the sound of our new SEs, when coupled with the B.A.M., the result is incredible depth and detail, a lusher midrange, and a sense of presence that jumps out and grabs you. There is also a tighter and more controlled bass than one would think possible given the size of the woofer and the enclosure dimensions. Don't get me wrong - if you're looking for a speaker with bass that will alter your heartbeat or make your pant-legs flutter, then this is not the speaker for you (try the Von Schweikertsl}. But if you're looking for a transducer that will accurately reproduce every minute detail that the musicians so lovingly laid down, a soundstage that is boundless, and images that appear to float on a diaphanous veil of notes, then you owe it to yourself to listen to this speaker!

Also new and improved is the Merlin TSM, but more about them next time, after we've given them a chance to break in. Both the VSM and the TSM are available in a wide variety of high-gloss lacquer finishes, including black, oxblood red, hunter green, ivory, and midnight blue.

Bobby Palkovic of Meriln Music and Gilbert Yeung of Blue Circle Audio will be here to answer any questions you may have about their products at the end of April. The date isn't finalized yet, but give us a ring or drop us an e-mail for further details.

PSB

The PSB Stratus Gold i is another speaker that has recently undergone a facelift. The cabinet is now narrower and 3 inches deeper, and the diameter of the port has increased. The new Golds use the same drivers as the previous model but significant sonic improvements have been made. Gone is the tubby boom in the bottom end - the bass is quick and taut with no overhang of notes. Of course now that the bass has been cleaned up this leaves sweeter, richer upper bass and lower midrange frequencies.

Imaging also seems to have improved, with tighter focusing. This speaker can now compete with some of the better mini- monitors, in terms of accuracy and detail. As an added bonus, the Gold is easy on the eyes, particularly with the new cherry finish.

REGA

Did anyone not see the Rega Planet on the cover of February's Stereophile? I believe that this is the least expensive piece of audio gear to ever grace the front page of this glossy tabloid. Talk about a picture saying a thousand words...

While perhaps not the most resolving player in our store, as far as squeezing every last drop of detail from the silver disc, the Planet has a unique sense of pace and rhythm that allows you to sit back and become lost in the music. All of that audiophile stuff aside, it's one of the most involving players I've heard in a long time. With the Planet, a piano sounds like a piano, not a synthesizer!

TOTEM ACOUSTICS

The Totem Model 1 has also undergone a revision. This superb mini-monitor is now available in a signature version, featuring upgraded internal wiring and oiL-filled caps in the crossover. The result is an even more sophisticated speaker: the tonal balance is rich and warm, the bass is deeper and tighter, and any hint of stridency from the Seas tweeter has been eliminated. All this for a mere $200 more than the bi-wire version of the Model 1.

Owners of the original Model 1s need not fret, as the upgrade is readily available to them. Cost is $500 on bi-wire versions and an additional $200 for single-wire Model 1s.

If you're interested in Totem Acoutics and up for a bit of a drive, you won't want to miss Vincent Bruzzese touting his latest products to the Western New York Audio Society on April 1st at the LaSalle Yacht Club. Call us for more details...

VON SCHWEIKERT RESEARCH

As anyone browsing VSR's website has found out by now, the VR4 has now evolved into the VR4 Gen II. The main purpose of this change was to make the VR4 more streamlined and L.R.F. (no, not "Lower Resonant Factor" but "Living Room Friendly"). To accomplish this they have narrowed the cabinet width by 2.5 inches, which should make placement somewhat easier as well as looking more svelte. Those of you who thought that the VR4 was too bulky for your listening room might want to reconsider...

The rear of the mid-treble cabinet is sloped to further enhance the spatial imaging of the rearfiring tweeter and to allow closer placement to the rear wall. While making cabinet modifications, Von Schweikert also decided to make sonic improvements as well, upgrading the internal wiring, crossover, and rear tweeter.

Our floor models are in break-in mode right now, so a proper review is pending. However, Albert Von Schweikert informs me that he has eliminated that bass bump at 50 Hz, making the lower bass smoother and tighter, and achieving a flatter midbass response. Overall, Albert claims that the VR4 II sounds closer to the VR6 - great news for those of us who choke at the VR6's $18,000 price tag! (FYI, no changes are planned for the VR3 or VR4.5 speakers).

VPI

If you haven't brought in some of your favorite vinyl to audition the VPR Aries / JMW tonearrn combination in our reference system, what are you waiting for?! This system is now fully broken in and sounds phenomenal Common expletives like air, transparency, presence, and immediacy, are not enough to describe the emotions experienced when listening to one's favorite pieces of vinyl on this system.

Thanks to Jonathan and Ed at Mad Cap Audio for letting me share the thrill of auditioning their Vibraplane. Words can't describe the new heights this mechanical marvel brought to our reference system. I was on the verge of tears when Jonathan and Ed came to take it back. Ah well, I guess I'll have to start saving my pennies... (300,000 of them for the passive model and 650,000 for the active model). For more information on Vibraplane, you can reach Mad Cap via e-mail at

I'm still amazed at the difference that the Black Diamond carbon-fibre record clamp makes on the VPI. Black Diamond is supposed to be developing a universal clamp to adapt to other tables. The current model has a 1/4-20 threaded spindle which only fits VPI and Oracle turntables.

TUBE TWEAKS!

If you can't afford the 3K for a Vibraplane to set your tube gear on, then you might want to try one of the following tweaks to dampen tube vibration and eliminate microphonics:

Top Hats are metal discs about the size of a nickel, only half an inch think but composed of three distinct layers of dissimilar metals. Each layer dissipates a certain degree of resonant frequencies. The disc must be glued to the top of the tube with the supplied adhesive, but can be removed with hot water without damaging the tube or top hat. We use them here on the Blue Circle BC3 and the Audible Illusions Modulus 3A the results are stunning!

If you balk at the price of $180 per pair for the Top Hats, then try the 3M tube dampers. At $10 each, these clear plastic rings offer a less expensive alternative. They're not as effective as the Top Hats, but are well worth the price.

We've been playing around with substituting Black Diamond cones for Top Hats with excellent results. I understand that D.J. from Black Diamond is presently developing a dedicated tube damper. That's good news for us, because we can't get the lid back on the BC3 with those cones glued to the tops of the tubes. This is one to try at home, folks - but exercise some caution if you're forced to leave the top off of your amp or preamp...

SOFTWARE REVIEWS

Patricia Barber: "Cafe Blue" (Premonition Records)

This disc is a standard favorite amongst both audio reviewers and show participants, and with good reason. This is an extremely ambient recording with a background so quiet that Barber's voice seems to soar above the instruments of her band. With a perfect mix of ethereal vocals and moody, minimal jazz, this disc is a definite must-have. Available in standard format or gold HDCD disc.

"Buena Vista Social Club" (World Circuit/Nonesuch)

Another highly satisfying Ry Cooder project, this time collaborating with a group of Cuban folk musicians. An excellent album, so joyful and vibrant that you'll think you're in the streets of Havana.

Fairfield Four: "I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" (Warner)

Once again this accapela gospel group spins their web and draws you into their lush harmonies. This HDCD recording is very spacious and airy, with disembodied voices hovering in the air.

Alvin Youngblood Hart: "Big Mama's Door" (OKeh)

If you enjoy vintage, pre-war, acoustic blues, but can't bare the tape hiss and background noise often found on the original recordings, then check this out. This guy plays authentic, gut-wrenching, down-home, back-on-the-plantation blues. Accompanied on some tracks by the legendary Taj Mahal, Hart covers the whole gamut of styles, from Howlin' Wolf to Charlie Patton to early Muddy to the mandolin strings of Yank Rachell. Processed in HDCD and highly recommended.

Loreena McKennitt: "The Book of Secrets" (WEA)

McKennitt's latest effort is an eclectic blend of mantras, gregorian chants, and Celtic folk music. Rather like Dead Can Dance meets Clanad, with a similar deep and dreamy ambience.

Kelly Joe Phelps: "Roll Away The Stone" (Rykodisc)

This white boy sure can pick and sing - reminds one of Keb Mo, with feeling. Well recorded acoustic blues featuring Phelps on unamplified six string, twelve string, and lap steel guitars, accompanied by his eerily haunting vocals.

Portishead: "Portishead" (Warner)

The foliow-up to their critically acclaimed debut "Dummy", Portishead's second album continues in the same vein, adding more orchestral accents and moody guitar work to their unique blend of grainy, groovy beats and beautiful female vocals. A strange combination for uninitiated ears perhaps, with Beth Gibson's voice soaring above an infectious mix of sampled jazz and hip-hop, reverberating guitar, and assorted aural oddities. Portishead artfully draw together all of these disparate elements into a highly listenable and emotionally compelling whole. Great late night listening...

Stereolab: "Dots And Loops" (EIektra)

The latest offering from Britain's retro-futurists finds them further refining their sound, combining VU-esque drone rock, loungy pop, and modern dance beats to create a completely unique sonic hybrid. With its simple layered melodies and upbeat tempo, this is definitely a pop album, but Stereolab display a commitment to craftsmanship and experimentation which propels their music light years beyond the vacuous fluff which is so often associated with the genre.

Well, that's about it for this issue! I'd like to wrap up by bidding farewell to our copy editor, sales assistant, and number one son, Rich, who is off to visit his girlfriend Christie in Edinburgh. Christie is studying for her Master's in fine arts at the prestigious Edinburgh College of Art and Rich will be joining her there until classes end. They will then tour Europe, playing a number of engagements wsith their ambient techno band Orphx until mid-August. Good luck Rich, and be sure to send us some postcards to keep us up to date (maybe we can persuade him to write a column for "Views" to chronicle his sojourns :)

Until next time,

Best wishes -

Thanks to:

Rich: editing, typesetting.
Marcus: public relations, eating, sleeping.