Scoping software.

Bach, J.S.: Six Suites for Solo Cello. Sergei Istomin, cello. Recorded in 1997, at Saint John's Anglican Church, Elora, Ontario. Engineer: probably Clive Allen. 131+ minutes (2-disc set). Analekta 3114.

To paraphrase information contained in the booklet that comes with this recording, the Six Suites were composed during Bach's stay in Cothen between 1717 and 1723, and form part of the body of instrumental music written by him during those years. These included the Brandenburg Concertos, Orchestral Overtures, Inventions, and various sonatas and partitas for solo instruments, particularly the violin.

Until this time Bach was mainly known for his cantatas and keyboard music (including organ), and the Cothen era (when he became Kapellmeister of the court orchestra) had the composer switching gears and concentrating on other solo and ensemble instrumental works. One reason for this may be that the Calvinist-oriented court was more interested in straightforward solo and chamber presentations than in music that tried (possibly in the wrong way) to highlight the faith. Fortunately for Bach, the court orchestra, which included cellists Christian Bernhard Lunecke and Christian Ferdinand Abel, was one of the best in Europe at that time. It is likely that these works for cello were designed to complement the six sonatas and partitas written for solo violin.

As I have noted in some of my previous product and recording reviews, when one wants a solidly musical recorded presentation of the cello it is very important to have flat response in the middle-bass range. Ironically, this is where a lot of speaker or speaker/room combinations go to pot. Some full-range systems will exhibit a bloated mid bass, perhaps to make rock recordings or movie soundtracks deliver more punch. Others, particularly sub/sat systems that have a blend-related dip between smallish satellites and the subwoofer, will make the instrument sound considerably less emphatic, and certainly less rich, than it should. Even often very good systems not properly positioned will allow the "Allison Effect" to generate a power-response suckout notch that brackets many of the frequencies that matter for good cello reproduction.

My main system (with Allison IC-20 main speakers) handles the problem from the design approach, and the result is a flat mid-bass response from the left and right speakers that allows any good phantom-center cello recording to shine. The center channel in that system, because it is a stand-mounted unit with a subwoofer to handle the low bass, does exhibit a mild, boundary-related suckout notch. However, my AudioControl C-131 equalizer flattens it out and the overall result, when DSP is engaged and the phantom is morphed into a solid center feed, is flat response where it counts for good cello reproduction.

My second system has Dunlavy Cantata main speakers (issue 87), and in order to get them to have flat middle-bass response in my newly refurbished and expanded "second" room it is necessary to employ a bit of equalization. Fortunately, I make use of an excellent Rane THX-44 for that job (issue 98), and the result is mid-bass response that is as flat as one could desire. The equalizer also flattens the response of that system's NHT VS1.2 center speaker. However, because that system is located fairly high up on the TV monitor (about 14 inches higher up than the centerline of the Cantatas), I rarely use it for musical playback.

My living room system, which uses NHT ST4 systems for left and right channel duty (issue 90), is beautifully equalized by a Rane THX-22 (issue 83). That system's center speaker, an NHT SC1 (reviewed along with the ST4 systems), is at least decently equalized by the Yamaha DSP-A3090 integrated amp's on-board center equalizer (issue 65). Consequently, that package is in the same class as the other two, at least when it comes to properly reproducing the cello.

OK, so here's the word: there is no way that a system that is not uniformly smooth in the middle-bass range will be able to do justice to a good cello recording. End of today's speaker-performance lesson.

Istomin plays two different cellos during this series, and each has a wondrous sound. The overall effect is quite close up, and you can occasionally hear the performer moving about in his seat and also clearly hear the bowing strokes. The center focus is superb, and there was no drift of any kind when listening to the performance on my middle system without a DSP-derived center feed. Thank the strongly toed-in Dunlavy Cantatas in that system for this kind of playback stability, even when listening from somewhat away from the central axis.

With that set up I got the best DSP ambiance simulation from my Yamaha DSP-A1 processor (issue 72) by using its smaller Jazz Club simulation. (Yes, the jazz club modes are for more than jazz works, and any performance that involves a smaller recording environment will benefit from them.) The result was a better sense of hall space than what was possible with straight stereo playback. Trust me: it was much better. Even synthesized DSP ambiance simulations from a two-channel source will be superior to straightforward two-channel reproduction, nine times out of ten--no matter how good the original two-channel source material.

The sound on my main system, which uses a Yamaha RX-Z1 receiver (issue 93), was at its best with the Dolby Pro Logic II (music) mode engaged. The Yamaha Classical/Opera and various hall DSP simulations made the acoustics a bit elephantine. Both systems did marvelous justice to this recording, but the edge has to go to the more conventional, Cantata anchored middle one.

I had a chance to AB this recording against two other Bach cello releases. I used my middle system for the comparisons and did simultaneous switching between two players, mostly in straight stereo playback. One of the recordings was a very fine Naxos release. (Alexander Rudin performing; recorded in Moscow in 2000, with the stock number 8.555992.). For the most part I would have to give the technical edge to the Analekta release, whether listened to in straight stereo or given the DSP ambiance treatment. The Naxos presentation was a bit more distant and the sound did not exhibit the kind of front-row-seat inner detail that the cello demands.

In addition, the Istomin performance had more recorded ambiance, and its more open acoustic managed to dovetail with the various DSP modes a bit better. This is not to sell the Naxos release short, and I am sure that some people would give it the edge in all respects. It is a terrific item, and Rudin, at least to my admittedly not outstandingly refined taste, is as good a performer as Istomin.

The other transcription was on the Opus 111 label. (Peter Bruns performing; recorded in Paris in 1997, with the stock number 20010.) In terms of technical attributes, this release spans the gap between the Analekta and Naxos versions, with not quite the intimate detail of the former and a bit less distance than the latter. Brun is also an excellent performer (but with tempos that differ from both Istomin and Rudin), and I could live happily with this recording, and said so in a previous review. However, performance preferences aside, the Analekta release pretty much sets the standard for close-up-sound technical excellence, with the Opus 111 disc a close second and the Naxos release falling a tad behind.

Shelton, Chip: Flute Bass-ics, with Ron Carter, Stephen Scott, Lewis Nash, and Steven Kroon. Recorded in 2003, at LRP Studios, Manhattan. Engineers: Mikhail Liberman and James Nichols. 51+ minutes. Summit 371.

Shelton is able to expertly play several different kinds of flutes (the Summit blurb sheet calls him a "Multi-Flutist"), and he exhibits those talents right here. With Carter and the supporting players, the aesthetics basically involve extremely well performed, easy-listening type of jazz that will appeal to enthusiasts who are not into what I call the angst-jazz aesthetic. You do not have to imbibe three beers to get into this music.

Technically, the presentation is quite good, with a very clean and detailed instrument spread, and with an intimate and close-up detail. This is the kind of highly delineated sound that my middle setup's Dunlavy Cantata systems eat for lunch. The overall effect is a tad dry (which admittedly, enhanced the close-up detail), and it benefited mightily when I dialed in some jazz-club DSP enhancements with the DSP-A1 processor-amp. The classical/opera and Dolby Pro Logic II (music) modes in my main system were also excellent, but on the whole I preferred what my more conventional, focussed radiation pattern, middle system could do with this material.

Summit Brass Live. Recorded ca 2003; location not listed, but it was done live, as the title indicates, with plenty of audience sounds to prove the point. Engineer: Kevin Harbison. 66+ minutes. Summit 380.

While the blurb sheet indicates that this eclectic group has 17 members, the same blurb sheet lists each individual and they add up to considerably more than 17. In any case, this very talented ensemble (which is producing its first new recording in five years) performs spectacularly well, playing brass transcriptions of works by Richard Strauss, J.S. Bach, and Dmitri Shostakovich, as well as more contemporary composers. The overall sound has great impact and panache in combination with the kind of recorded clarity and microphone smoothness required to make horns (particularly trumpets) not get on your nerves.

There is a nice sense of hall space that is made even better by the kind of DSP ambiance enhancements available from all three of my system processors.

Tafelmusik: Baroque Delights. Short works and excerpts from works by Telemann, Handel, J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, Marcello, and Domenico Scarlatti. Recorded at several locations, over a period of several years, with this compendium dated 2004. Engineers: John Adams and Clive Allen. 59+ minutes. Analekta 9760.

The period-instrument ensemble Tafelmusik was formed in 1979, and this release is basically a compendium of excerpts from the Analekta catalog. As suck the sound is slightly different from selection to selection, but not so much so that adjustments are required. Overall, the transfer is superb, and performances and the music are just as marvelous. While the performance benefits of period-instrument presentations are debatable (love them or hate them, I suppose, with no in-between opinions allowed), the result here should satisfy all but the most modern-instrument-enamored, romantic-era freak.

I have a real commitment to baroque music and this release is one of the best ways I know to understand just why the art of music composition reached an aesthetic peak in that era and why the Analekta catalog contains some of the best recordings available. All of these transcriptions were positively enhanced by the assorted DSP hall-synthesizing programs available from the processor/amps and receiver in my three systems.

Les Violons du Roy: Celebration. With one previously unreleased exception, these are musical excerpts from the Dorian catalog that includes material by Handel, J.S. Bach, J.C.F. Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart. The Violons du Roy ensemble is here supported by La Chapelle de Quebec and several soloists. Engineer: not listed, but probably a combination of Craig Dory and Brian Peters. 78+ minutes. Dorian 90024.

While the fifteen-piece Violons du Roy ensemble specializes in baroque and classical chamber music and performs in a way that reflects the techniques of those eras, they make use of modern playback tools. The result is a degree of warmth that is often lacking in presentations that feature "period" instruments, and to my way of thinking this ensemble offers up the best of the old and new musical worlds. In addition, these excerpts give one a very good idea of just what the Dorian catalog's original materials deliver in the way of performance perfection and technical finesse.

The overall sound is, well, sensational, with some of the most refined soundstaging you will encounter. It is interesting to contrast what we have here with the Tafelmusik release discussed above, and all I can say is that either recording will be masterful introductions to the wonders of those musical ages. This release also responded well to any number of DSP surround enhancements at my disposal, and to be truthful I cannot see how they can be happily listened to any other way.

And one surround-sound release.

Dr. Chesky's 5.1 Surround Show. 55+ minutes. Done in DVD-A and Dolby Digital. Chesky DVD272.

Chesky is a small company as record producers go, and like some other small recording companies, they at least partially depend upon a customer base that demands, well, "hi-fi sound" from their recordings, as much as musical excellence. This is one way they can survive in the dog-eat-dog world of recorded sound. (Another way, adopted by Naxos, is to offer up low-priced, high-quality recordings to a small, targeted group of music lovers who have specific and refined tastes.) This particular release is designed to reach out and grab the ears of the audio-buff listener and get them interested in what surround sound that actually "surrounds" you with instrumentation, musical material, special sonic effects can do. Of course, I should note here that just about any major-producer action movie these days can do the same thing, and do it with pictures, too.

Note that this material is also available in another form: an SACD surround-sound transcription (SACD 273) that has alternate stereo tracks for CD player use. There is no way I can envision either the DVD-A or SACD surround-track versions having a sonic edge over the other, at least if they were recorded and coded to sound the same. Indeed, I expect that those who play the DVD-A version on conventional DVD video players and hear only the Dolby Digital surround tracks will get as much of a sonic kick as those who have DVD-A or SACD players.

You will have to trust me on this last observation, because I am still shopping for an SACD player. While DVD-A and SACD certainly have an edge over two-channel CD audio when it comes to surround effects and the center feed, they are gilding the lily when it comes to per-channel sonic quality up front with the left and right channels. The extra bandwidth and improved S/N ratio are overkill.

Anyway, Chesky has released this particular DVD-A/Dolby Digital compendium of short pieces of music (usually in the 2 to 3 minute range) recorded specifically for surround-sound playback. The disc also includes some brief (usually in the 1 to 2 minute range) and often interesting sound-effects tracks, some of which have tremendous impact and some of which will exercise even the biggest subwoofer. (Forgive me, but I should note here that prior to listening to this disc ! played and watched the movie Matrix Revolutions, and at times it easily had as much bass and percussive wallop as Dr. Chesky's creation.) The net result is, as Chesky obviously hopes, something to whet the appetites of both those who purchase the disc and those who drop by the owner's home to give it a listen. I think the disc succeeds at what it is supposed to do, but its musicality is limited by the shortness of the excerpts and the fact that the musical aesthetic varies so much from track to track.

I should fairly note that the disc will appeal to those who love drum music, because six of the 38 tracks offer up some impressive percussive demonstrations. As noted, there is also plenty of low bass (including some recorded heartbeat thumps), and of course the sound is often all around you in spades.

Interestingly, the Dolby Digital tracks actually had one edge over the DVD-Audio tracks. With my Yamaha RX-Z1 processor manually switched to its 6.1 mode, there were center-back effects that existed only in phantom-image form with the DVD-A material. (The Yamaha processor will not synthesize a center-back feed with the analog 5.1 inputs from an outboard DVD-A or SACD player, and no other processor I know of will, either.) This is not really a big deal, but it does show that one can get plenty of "fun" from this disc even if all they have is a DVD video player and 6.1 receiver.

The "fun" issue has to be taken lightly, however, because this disc actually is only good for two things: (1) getting a surround-sound-demo rush from the initial listening session and (2) having subsequent listening sessions for houseguests who will then be wowed by the surround effects. There is no way I can envision one listening to this material on a regular basis simply for personal musical satisfaction, even though some John Cage fans might get a kick out of it.

--HF