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...... the hi-fi industry and its army of dealers had their annual summer get-together at Chicago's Mc-Cormick Place (ein Riesen- Messe- und Ausstellungszentrum ähnlich der Hannover Messe).

And they approached one another very, very carefully (und sie gehen sehr vorsichtig aufeinander zu). Amid the glitter of new products (mitten im Glitter neuer Produkte), an air of caution prevailed as the mammoth Consumer Electronics Show (CES) slowed down its speedy growth of recent years, took a deep breath and got ready for an expected business improvement in the coming months.

For the customer planning to buy stereo or 4-channel this fall, the lineup of new products promises more value and, happily, less confusion. There is less innovation this year, fewer hot-off-the-drawing-board new items that, more often than not, are months or years away from production.

Instead, there's more attention to basic quality, to giving the customer what he wants, and fulfilling last year's promises instead of making new ones.

The prevailing trends are:

• * More "high-end" stereo components with the professional studio look, featuring high power and high price.
• * Many high-performance record players, most new models featuring belt drive or, at still higher cost, direct drive.
• * There is a big array now of single-play automatic and semiautomatic turntables, competing briskly with improved record changers, known now as "multiple-play" turntables.
• * Improved cassette technology, with reduced wow and flutter in top-of-the-line models, many of them front-loading and styled to match the tuner and amplifier components, and several 3-head models that permit off-the-tape monitoring.
• * Fewer open-reel tape machines, with most new models designed for the serious recording enthusiast who wants 10 1/2-in. reel capability, spill free "logic" controls and, at a steep price, 4 channel recording with synchronization of individual tracks when over-dubbing or re-recording.
• *Less confusion about 4-channel as manufacturers drop the "hard sell" approach of past shows and look instead for long-term growth as more quadraphonic recordings are released and played over the airwaves.
• * Few changes this year in 4-channel hardware, now that all three systems ("discrete" CD-4, and the matrix-type SQ and QS) are available in Integrated Circuit (IC) form and built into top-grade 4-channel receivers.

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The quad scene's next round of hoopla will come when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approves one of several proposed systems for broadcasting discrete 4-channel.

In the meantime, only matrixed 4 channel program material can be transmitted, as it requires no FCC sanction. An FCC decision is expected later this year.
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The talk in the corridors, as dealers met with manufacturers and their representatives, turned most often to the subject of "fair trade" laws that permit price-fixing at the retail store level.

In recent months several states have abolished (abgechafft)such laws, and signs point to speedy enactment of federal legislation killing fair trade altogether.

Thus, it will no longer be illegal for a dealer to cut prices if he is content with a smaller markup, and there's lively competition expected among stateside audio dealers when the day comes.

Here's part one of our annual standby-stand report on new high fidelity equipment displayed in June at CES.
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The Accuphase series of components by Kensonic now includes a jumbo power amplifier, model M-60, but it'll take two of them to drive a stereo system because it is strictly monophonic.

Styled for rack-mounting (19 inches wide and with handles on the front), its control panel includes a 25-step attenuator divided into dB increments (instead of the usual potentiometer-type volume control) and a logarithmic scale output meter that can be switched to read either peak or average volume level.

Another switch actuates a subsonic filter to eliminate noise below the audible range. Power rating of the M-60 is 450 watts at 4 ohms, 300 watts at 8 ohms or 150 watts at 16 ohms, all RMS measured at 20-20,000 Hz with no more than 0.1 percent total harmonic distortion (THD).
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Latest loudspeakers from Audio Dynamics Corp. are the New Milford I and II, acoustic-suspension bookshelf designs with 10-in. woofer. The New Milford I is a two-way system with 21/2-in. tweeter, while Model II, a 3-way system, is housed in an identical cabinet but includes an additional 2-in. dome tweeter and a front-panel tweeter/midrange control. Stateside prices are $99.95 and $199.95.

ADC's three top-priced phono cartridges have been upgraded and given a new"Mk II" designation. They are the Super XLM Mk II with Shibata (tri-radial) stylus designed for CD-4 records, the XLM Mk II and VLM Mk II, both with elliptical (bi-radial) stylus but the latter designed to track at a slightly higher stylus force.

Known as a cassette recorder specialist, Aiwa has upgraded its line and introduced a new deck, model AD-1800, with the best wow-and-flutter specification the company has achieved to date: 0.055 percent (WRMS). Two noise-reduction circuits, Dolby and DNL, are built in. While the Dolby method is used in both recording and playback, DNL operates only in playback. The AD-1800's frequency response is given as 30-17,000 Hz with chromium dioxide tape, or 30-18,000 Hz with new FeCr (dual-oxide) tape.

Also new from Aiwa is the AD-6500 cassette deck with front-load styling. It features a motor-driven cassette-loading mechanism actuated by lightly pushing the cassette into the slot.

The deck's styling is matched by a new stereo amplifier, model AX-7500, and there is also a hybrid unit, model AF-3030, with receiver and front-load cassette deck built into a single chassis. Add a turntable to this combination and you have the new Aiwa AF-5080 music system with record player, cassette tape deck and stereo receiver all in one. An extra feature is an automatic pause mechanism with player and deck cross-coupled so the deck starts recording when the player is started and stops recording when the player is stopped.

The "new look" from Akai, featuring brushed aluminum styling, is evident in several stereo and 4-channel receivers as well as tape equipment.

Model AS-1080DB is a new top-of-the-line 4-channel receiver with built-in Dolby noise reduction, CD-4, SQ full-logic and regular matrix circuitry. Power rating is 40 watts per channel minimum RMS at 8 ohms, 20-20,000 Hz, with no more than 0.2 percent THD and the Stateside price is $895.

Next in the line is model AS-1070, also for 4-channel but without Dolby, priced at $695 Stateside and rated at 20 watts per channel at 0.3 percent THD.

Of the three stereo receivers, model AA-1010DB at $299.95 features Dolby noise reduction. It offers 13 watts per channel minimum RMS at 8 ohms, 40-20,000 Hz, with no more than 0.8 percent THD. Model AA-1030 at $350 delivers 30 watts per channel from 20-20,000 Hz, with 0.3 percent THD, while model AA-1050 has a 50 watt per channel RMS rating at 8 ohms, from 20-20,000 Hz, with 0.15 percent THD. Stateside price is $450.

Matching Akai's receivers in styling are three front-loading cassette tape decks with Dolby circuitry.

Model GXC-760D has three glass and crystal heads with tape/source monitoring, and a 3-motor drive mechanism with closed-loop dual capstan and logic function controls.

Model GXC-740D, also with three heads and tape/source monitoring, has a single-motor drive, while the GXC-710D has only two heads—and a lower price.

Akai's open-reel tape decks also have the brushed aluminum look. There are four new models with 10 1/2-in. reel capability, topped by the GX-630DSS four-channel machine
with four heads and Quadra-synch circuitry to permit each of the channels to be recorded separately while monitoring the other channels.

All four decks feature 3-motor drive, logic-type function controls and tape/source monitoring. Model GX-630D and GX-630DB are identical two-speed decks except the latter has built-in Dolby noise-reduction circuitry. Model GX-650D offers three speeds (including 15 ips) and sound-on-sound, and employs a closed-loop dual-capstan drive mechanism.
Akai also has new loudspeakers, unveiled at CES, that are manufactured in the States.

Models S-123, S-122 and S-102 are ducted bass reflex systems with foam grills, their prices ranging from $89.95 for a two-way system with 10-in. woofer to $189.95 for a 3-way system with 12-in. woofer.
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With six drivers mounted on two faces of a triangular column enclosure, the "Allison: One" and "Allison: Two" loudspeaker systems are an unusual new design by engineer Roy F. Allison, who some years back was one of the founders of Acoustic Research.

According to an elaborate technical paper presented by Allison to the Audio Engineering Society, the boundaries of the listening room affect a speaker's performance at certain frequencies.

By positioning the woofer as close as possible to the floor and rear wall, and at least 2 1/2 feet from the nearest side wall, the cancellation of bass response caused by the walls is eliminated. Hence the Allison system's woofers are mounted at the very bottom of the floor-standing triangular cabinet.

To avoid similar acoustic interference in the midrange, Allison's mid-frequency drivers must be positioned at least 2 1/4 feet above the floor, resulting in a column-shaped acoustic-suspension enclosure with woofers at the bottom and the smaller drivers at the top.

The "Allison: One" and "Allison: Two" are both three-way systems, with a 10-in. woofer in the "One," and an 8-in. in the "Two." The latter's enclosure is also somewhat smaller. Midrange and treble units are both of the dome type, using a new construction technique developed by Allison called "Convex Diaphragm." Further details are available from Allison Acoustics, Inc., 7 Tech Circle, Natick, Massachusetts 01760.
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There are six new loudspeakers from Altec/Lansing, five of them bookshelf models with Stateside prices ranging from $89 to $289. Their grill panels are removable, and the baffle-board of each speaker is fully finished in walnut to permit the grill to be left off altogether if desired for a "bare-baffle look." At the top of the line is Model Nine, a 3-way system in a vented enclosure with 12-in. woofer, 6 1/2-in. midrange and 5-in. cone tweeter. High-frequency controls are accessible from the front panel.

Model Seven, also a 3-way system, has a 4-in. tweeter, while Model Five is a two-way system with three speakers including a pair of 4-in. cone drivers for midrange/treble. Model Three has a 10-in. woofer and 4-in. tweeter, while Model One consists of an 8-in. woofer and 4-ih. tweeter in a sealed enclosure.
Rounding out Altec/Lansing's new line is the Stonehenge II floor-standing speaker, a 3-way system with 12-in. woofer in a tuned, vented cabinet finished in oak, priced Stateside at $359.
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Prototypes of two new speaker designs were unveiled in a private showing held during the Summer CES. One is billed by Audioanalyst as a "Modular Concept," featuring a separate bass module for each channel, plus a satellite midrange/tweeter unit that can be wall-mounted.

Thus the satellites can be positioned in the room locations that offer the best stereo imagery, while the bass modules are positioned for maximum efficiency at low frequencies.

Each satellite can also be switched for use as a full-range loudspeaker at moderate power levels. Stateside price of the Audioanalyst Modular Concept System, including two bass modules and two satellites, will be about $649. The satellites will also be available separately for about $318 per pair.
The second Audioanalyst prototype, still under wraps, is a tower loudspeaker called the Phasex 1.
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There are now four Audio Technica cartridges designed for discrete 4-channel discs. All feature the Shibata stylus, a tri-radial design that provides greater contact with the groove wall than elliptical (bi-radial) or conical stylus tips.

It is specifically designed to play CD-4 discs (though it will of course play conventional stereo and mono recordings as well). Audio Technica's lowest priced model, AT12S, has a frequency response of 15-45,000 Hz and channel separation of 20 dB at 10,000 Hz, 25 dB at 1,000 Hz.

Next higher in price is model AT14Sa, featuring a square-shank Shibata stylus "nude" mounted into the cantilever. Its frequency response is 5-45,000 Hz, the channel separation the same as the AT12S.

The premium-priced model AT15Sa is supplied with an individual response curve and offers the same 5-45,000 Hz frequency response but improved channel separation of 22 dB at 10,000 Hz.

And there is also a limited-edition model AT20SLa, which is the same cartridge but boasting the best performance of the lot: frequency response 5-50,000 Hz, channel separation 23 dB at 10,000 Hz.
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The newest speaker from Avid Corporation is the top-of-the-line model 105, bearing a $300 price tag. In a large, floor-standing, acoustic-suspension enclosure are five drivers including a 12-in. woofer, 3-in. midrange, 1 -in. dome tweeter and two auxiliary 1-3/8-in. cone tweeters that fire to the side. The midrange unit features a basketless construction, Avid claiming that the basket frame in conventional drivers causes interior wave reflections that degrade speaker performance. Avid rates the model 105 at 25 watts RMS minimum to 200 watts RMS maximum, with frequency response ±2.5dB from 30-18,000 Hz. Distortion is less than 4 percent at 40 Hz with 50 watts input. It is an 8-ohm system and finished in walnut veneer with laminated black top and dark brown grill.
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The British Industries people, who introduced a U.S.-made turntable a year ago, have expanded the selection to thiee models. Newest is the BIC 940, priced Stateside at $109.95 Like the BIC 960 ($159.95) and BIC 980 ($199.95), it is a belt-drive multiple-play machine with 24-pole low-speed (300 rpm) synchronous motor. A program panel allows the turntable to be operated in a choice of three modes single-play manual, single-play automatic or as a changer handling up to six records. The new model has a less elaborate tone arm system and sheds the fancy finish of the higher-priced BIC turntables.

The Venturi loudspeakers from BIC, called Formula 1, 2, 4 and 6, are unchanged on the outside, but have undergone internal refinements. Their Stateside prices now range from $74.95 to $295.
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Belt drive is featured in all three new turntables from BSR Models 200 BAX and 100 BAX are both multiple-play designs with "umbrella" spindles, while model 20 BPX is a single-play automatic. All three are offered complete with base, dust cover and ADC cartridge. Stateside prices range from $99.95 for the single-play machine to $139.95 for the deluxe model 200 BAX. The single-play 20 BPX is also available without cartridge as model 20 BP.

BSR is now heavily into the growing field of frequency equalizers, useful for tailoring a sound system to the acoustic characteristics of a listening room, eliminating standing waves, suppressing rumble, or enhancing the sound of a loudspeaker. The largest BSR equalizer, model FEW-3, has a total of 24 potentiometers, dividing each stereo channel into 12 separate frequency ranges. It also has a front-panel meter that measures output level to within 1 dB from 30-16,000 Hz.

Used in conjunction with a test record and calibrated microphone, it will measure the response of the entire sound system. As an aid to setting the individual controls on an equalizer, BSR offers a music sound level meter, model SLM-1.

Included is a test record with bands of "white noise" that correlate to the equalizer's controls. While playing the record, signal strength is measured on the meter (preferably at the usual listening position in the room), and the appropriate slide control is raised or lowered to adjust the level of the frequency band being measured.
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Capitol Magnetics (ehemals audio devices), the tape division of Capitol Records, has introduced an 8-track cartridge of 120-minute duration and claims to be the first manufacturer offering a full two-hour blank tape cartridge. It will be available under The Music Tape label.
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Known in Europe as Amcron (American Crown, to distinguish the company from a Japanese manufacturer of cassette and compact stereo equipment), the Crown people in Elkhart, Indiana offer amplifier and preamp components that are, like Crown's well-known tape recorders, all fitted with standard 19" brackets for rack-mounting.

At CES, Crown displayed a new power amplifier, Model D-150A, with some improvements over the Model D-150 that it replaces in the line. Power rating is 80 watts per channel RMS with both channels driven into an 8-ohm load and THD no more than 0.05 percent from 1 Hz to 20,000 Hz. This is five watts more than the old model and the power rating is given over a broader bandwidth (the D-150's rating was at 20-20,000 Hz).

The new "A" model also has a rear-panel switch that converts it to monaural operation (160 watts RMS at 16 ohms, 1-20,000 Hz, with 0.05 percent THD), a conversion that on the old model required internal wiring changes. And it has some cosmetic improvements, including front-panel level controls and a pilot light. The D-150's Stateside price, $20 higher than the old model, is $479.
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The Waltham, Mass. maker of compressor- expanders and noise reduction systems has a new model 160 compressor/limiter, a signal processor for use in live recordings. It is a signal sensor with level detection circuitry, using feed forward (as opposed to feedback) circuitry and voltage controlled amplifiers as the control element. Compression ratio is variable from 1:1 to infinity and threshold is adjustable from 10 mV to 3 V. The dbx 160 is a mono unit, with a $300 Stateside price, designed for professional recording studios. A lower-cost version, the 161, is offered for audiophiles and smaller studios. Details are available from dbx, Inc., 296 Newton St., Waltham, Mass. 02154.
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To eliminate the static charge that builds up between an LP disc and the turntable platter, Discwasher offers the D'Stat, an active carbon disc bonded to a piece of cloth and cut to the shape of a phonograph record. Placed between the platter and the record, it automatically discharges the record and keeps it from attracting dust.

Another new accessory from Discwasher is the "E1-Cue," a battery powered cuing device with solid-state circuitry that lowers the tone arm at the touch of a button and illuminates a Light Emitting Diode (LED). At the end of the record, when the tone arm gets within 1/8-in. of the E1-Cue, it triggers the automatic arm-lift without mechanical contact of any kind. The E1-Cue is due late this summer and will carry a Stateside price of about $40.
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New top-of-the-line tape decks in both cassette and open-reel formats were introduced by Dokorder at CES. Model 1140 is a 4-channel, 10 1/2-in. reel deck with Multi-Sync function, its drive mechanism a 3-motor, all-solenoid design with logic control. An added fillip is a test signal generator and variable bias control for adjusting the electronics to the tape being used.

Dokorder's new MK-60 cassette deck has three heads and Dolby circuitry for both recording and monitoring, plus an FM switch for using the noise reduction circuitry on Dolbyized broadcasts.
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There are two new turntables from Dual, including the first manual record player the company has introduced in the States, model 510. It has, however, a touch of automation at the beginning and at the end of each record since a mechanical sensor takes the guesswork out of finding the lead-in groove and the cue control automatically lifts the tone arm at the end. The belt-driven turntable switches on automatically when the tone arm is moved toward the record, and shuts off at the end. Stateside price of the Dual 510 is $199.95.

Model 1249 is Dual's newest top-of-the line automatic, successor to the 1229Q. The tone arm is a new design, pivoting horizontally and vertically on two sets of needlepoint bearings. The new model features belt drive and has an illuminated strobe, a continuous-repeat/single-play switch and separate anti-skating dials for conical, elliptical and CD-4 styli. Stateside price of the 1249 is $279.95, not including base and dust cover.
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With more than 60 FM stations in the States already broadcasting a Dolby-encoded signal, owners of Dyna FM-5 tuners may want to add a Dolby processor to their sets. So Dyna now offers a retrofit kit, priced at $79.95, for the purpose.

Included in the DBF-5 kit is a de-emphasis switch to compensate for the 25 microsecond pre-emphasis used for Dolby FM transmissions. (Normal FM signals use a 75 microsecond pre-emphasis.) The kit's preassembled circuit board is mounted inside the tuner, using holes already drilled in FM-5 models of recent vintage. The processor kit is not suitable for earlier-model FM-5 tuners, however. It will be available this Fall.

Dyna also has a new power amplifier, the Stereo 410, a stripped-down version of the Stereo 400. Priced at $399 in kit form, it offers the same performance but without frills such as level controls, filters, relay, Dynaguard and the massive heat sinks Of the costlier model.

Newest Dynaco loudspeaker is model A-40XL, with 10-in. woofer and one-inch dome tweeter in a heavily damped, vented enclosure—the same "aperiodic" damping featured in Dynaco's A-35 and A-25XL speaker. Price is about $150.
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Latest Stateside addition to the Elac turntable line is the Miracord 825, a moderate-price, two-speed automatic with variable pitch control and calibrated anti-skate mechanism for elliptical and conical styli. Suggested Stateside price is $129.95, not including base and dust cover.
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The Interface:B is a new E-V speaker system sold in pairs with an active equalizer to boost and smooth its high-frequency response. Its price ($325 per pair) is lower than E-V's Interface:A introduced earlier, but the speaker enclosures are actually larger than those of the higher-priced model. E-V's explanation is that the larger cabinet is more efficient and thus requires half the amplifier power of the Interfaced, making it more economical for the budget-minded customer. Each enclosure houses an 8-in. woofer, a tweeter with acoustic lens and a 10-in. low-frequency radiator, while the Interface:A has a larger and heavier radiator, an extra rear-firing tweeter in the back of the enclosure, and a fancier walnut finish to go with its $450 price tag.
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Two loudspeakers in EPI's Epicure line have been modified with a new tweeter and given new designations. In the tweeter's voice coil assembly, a new ferro-fluidic liquid is used instead of silicone to center the voice coil in the magnetic gap.

EPI claims it is the first manufacturer to use the exotic fluid, which costs $75 an ounce. It's in the Epicure Ten, a two-way system with 8-in. woofer and one tweeter, replacing the firm's Model 100. The Epicure Twenty, which replaces Model 201, has two 8-in. woofers and two tweeters, the drivers mounted in two separate modules, one firing to the front and the other at an upward angle. In both new systems the crossover systems have also been improved.

Having introduced its first amplifier, the 250-watt Model 1, a short time back, Epicure now adds a preamp to the line. It will be available in two versions, Model 2 ($350 Stateside) and Model 3 ($1300), the latter including a 10-band equalizer as well as oscilloscope display. Epicure claims a phenomenal 96 dB of quieting in the preamp's phono section.
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The Heil air-motion transformer, ESS's unique pleated-diaphragm tweeter that "squeezes" the air like an accordian to produce sound, has undergone some refinement to increase its power handling capacity. The new version, with a more rugged diaphragm of Teflon film with aluminum conductors, is built into a heavy duty "monitor" loudspeaker called the ESS Evaluator, rated at 75 watts RMS. It's a bookshelf system that pairs the Heil mid-range/tweeter component with a 12-in. woofer in a ported enclosure. Stateside list price of the ESS Evaluator is $298.

For the first time, ESS offers a full-range Heil air-motion transformer. It's in a new stereo headphone and it, too, has high power capability, rated up to a listening level of 120 dB. Called the Full Range Heil Element Headphone System, the new ESS 'phones will retail in the States for $97.

ESS is also in electronics with a new line called the Series Eclipse 500. First entry is a jumbo power amplifier rated at 250 watts RMS per channel minimum, both channels driven, into 8 ohms with no more than 0.25 percent THD from % watt to full rated power, 20-20,000 Hz. Its front panel includes two VU meters with rear illumination and black-out dial, and switches to control two pairs of loudspeakers. Stateside price of the Eclipse 500 will be $795.
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There is an improved version on the way of the Fairfax FTA-3 loudspeaker. The medium-size, 3-way system now features folded-horn loading of its 10-in. bass driver. It also has a new dome-type tweeter, with both treble and mid-frequencies (from a 5-in. midrange operating from 1000-5500 Hz) adjustable by means of a control on the rear of the enclosure. Stateside price of the FTA-3 is $170.
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Japan's leading film manufacturer has entered the hotly competitive magnetic tape market in the States with the introduction of Audiophile FX cassettes at the CES. The tape is a gamma ferric oxide formula that Fuji calls Pure-Ferrix. It requires no special biasing.
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• Anmerkung : FUJI hatte bis dahin als einer der weltgrößten Roh-Filmhersteller agiert und hatte jetzt gemerkt, daß das mit den 35mm und 8mm und den Super 8 Filmen auf dem absteigenden Ast war.

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There are five new Garrard turntables, including four automatic multiple-play models, topped by the Zero 2000B, successor to the Zero 100C. It has an improved version of the articulated tone arm that was the most distinctive feature of the earlier model.

Among other refinements are belt drive and a tapered motor pulley with intermediate idler permitting fine speed adjustments. Stateside price of the Zero 2000B is $229.95, not including base and dust cover. Next in the line is Model 990B at $169.95, essentially the same machine but with conventional tubular tone arm.

There are two medium-price automatics, models 770M and 440M, offered in "Omnipak" cartons also containing premounted cartridge, base and dust cover. Model 770M, with a Shure M93E cartridge, is priced Stateside at $119.95, while the 440M Omnipak has a Pickering V15-ATE-4 cartridge and costs $79.95.

The fifth new Garrard is Model 125SB, a belt-drive, fully automatic single-play turntable, complete with base and dust cover (but without cartridge) at $109.95.
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Utilizing the twin power supply featured in its premium-priced Citation components, Harman/Kardon's latest stereo receiver, Model 430, offers 25 watts per channel RMS at 8 ohms, 20-20,000 Hz, both channels driven with less than 0.5 percent THD. Also new is an integrated amplifier, the A-401, priced just below $200, and rated at 20 watts RMS per channel at 8 ohms, from 20-20,000 Hz, both channels driven, with less than 0.5 percent THD.

The Citation line now includes a block-buster power amplifier, the Citation 16, with the front-panel handles and rack-mounting holes typical of the new breed of heavyweights. The 16 also features a multicolor LED display panel for monitoring power level, the sensitivity range of the diodes controlled by a front-panel switch. Power rating is 150 watts RMS per channel at 8 ohms, from 20-20,000 Hz, both channels driven, with less than 0.05 percent THD. Harman/Kardon has produced an elaborate brochure describing the technology of the Citation 16, available on request from Harman/Kardon, 55 Ames Court, Plainview, NY 11803.

Also announced is a new top-of-the-line cassette tape deck, the HK2000, with a few refinements over the previous top model, the HK1000. It has an improved tape transport that reduces wow and flutter to below 0.07 percent, a new permalloy head, and a revised instrument panel, with the Dolby calibration controls now located right under the VU meters for greater convenience in setting Dolby levels.
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An unusual new Class D "switching" power amplifier shown in prototype last year by Infinity is now in limited production.

It differs from conventional amplifiers in that its transistors are used as switches instead of as linear amplifiers. Audio signals pass through the amplifier as pulses of varying duration, with gating (logic) circuits controling the on-off switching of the transistors at a more than 500,000 times-a-second rate. Infinity's 250-watt-per-channel switching amplifier is 3-in. high and weighs 24 lbs., the reduction in size and weight made possible by digital processing of the signal, which generates practically no heat.

Called the DSP, the new amplifier is in the $1200 price class. Infinity will soon have a matching preamplifier, displayed in prototype at CES, using Field Effect Transistor (FET) circuitry instead of the usual bi-polar transistors. The unit will include a playback only noise reduction circuit designed to remove existing noise, plus a dynamic range expander called Dynexpand. Among the refinements in the Infinity range of loudspeakers is a new 2000 II, replacing model 2000A-XT. The changes are in the midrange, a new 4-in. cone driver handling the 800-4000 Hz range, while a 1-in. dome midtweeter operates from 4000-10,000 Hz. From that point upward, the treble is handled by a Walsh tweeter, a cylindrical device mounted vertically in an open area at the top of the enclosure, which is vented on all four sides to permit 360-deg. dispersion. The 2000 II 4-way system is delivered with two tops, one walnut and the other of black cloth to match the grill. Stateside price is $329.

Infinity's Monitor speaker has also been converted to a 4-way system with the addition of a midtweeter, and its cabinet slightly enlarged. Now called Monitor II, it has a $449 Stateside price. There is also a new, smaller speaker called the Monitor Jr., which resembles the Infinity 1001A already available, but sheds the latter's rear-firing tweeter. Price of the Monitor Jr. is about $215.
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There is a new top-of-the-line bookshelf speaker on the way from JBL, model L 166 Horizon. Its price is $375, compared to the $318 price tag on JBL's L 100 Century speaker. Featured in the 3-way system is JBL's all-new hemispherical radiator, a dome-type tweeter with hard aluminum surface and an integral baffle. A 5-in. midrange and 12-in. woofer complete the system, which also features a new grill material. Power handling capacity of the L166 is 75 watts continuous program.

There is also a new floor-standing JBL, model L300 Summit, combining a 15-in. woofer, compression driver midrange with horn/lens assembly and a slot-loaded ring tweeter. With a 150-watt continuous program power rating, the L300 carries a Stateside price tag of $897.
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A former JBL executive, Tom Jennings, has formed a new loudspeaker manufacturing company called Jennings Research Inc. and introduced a line called the Contrara Group, after its designer, Amilio Contrara. There are three models, all in sculpted walnut with black grills and matching bases.

Contrara P is a pedestal speaker that swivels 360 degrees, with two 8-in. woofers and 1 -in. dome tweeter. U.S. retail price is $225. Contrara S (square) and Contrara R (rectangular) both have an 8-in. woofer and 1-in. dome tweeter. Each is priced at $125 and can serve either as a bookshelf or floor model.

Details on the Contrara Group are available from Jennings Research Inc., 64 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, California 91103.

There is a new console version of the "OPC" series of loudspeakers introduced by Jensen early this year. Model 25 is a 3-way, 4-speaker system with 15-in. woofer, two 3-in. cone midrange drivers in isolated chambers and a 172-in. dome tweeter. As in the four smaller models, each frequency range covered by the speaker components is color-coordinated, with the controls on a panel across the grill matching the colors of the individual drivers in order to simplify adjustment of the sound. U.S. retail price of the Jensen 25 is $239.
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A new recording/playback head is featured in the latest series of cassette tape recorders by JVC. Called the Sen-Alloy head, it has a chip of sendust alloy (iron crystals with 10 percent silicon and 7 percent aluminum) bonded to its permalloy core at the magnetic gap where the head makes contact with the tape. JVC claims that the new head has the wear resistance characteristic of ferrite heads with magnetic characteristics superior to those of perm-alloy.

Three new decks, called the SA series, feature the Sen-Alloy head. Model CD-1669-2 is JVC's top-of-the-line deck with two-motor drive, solenoid controls, and ANRS noise reduction. The new upgraded version with Sen-Alloy head will have a Stateside price of $499.95.

The JVC front-load cassette deck will also sport the new head. Its new designation is model CD-1960 and its Stateside price $399.95. And there is an all-new portable machine, model CD-1635, powered by either AC or a battery pack, and featuring a DC coreless motor. Wow and flutter are 0.08 percent WRMS (or 0.13 percent unweighted RMS), frequency response 45-16,000 Hz ± 3 dB with chrome tape, and a signal-to-noise ratio of 52 dB at 1000 Hz (improving 5 dB with ANRS). Price of the new portable is $299.95.

Also shown at JVC's exhibit at Mc-Cormick Place was the new FB-5, a floor-standing, two-way speaker system with back-loaded, folded-horn construction. Rated at 50 watts, it uses an 8-in. woofer and 2 3/8-in. tweeter.

JVC's line of electronic components is now topped by a "Laboratory Series" with rack styling and the ubiquitous front-panel handles of the latest super-powered equipment. A styling feature of JVC's new series is a drop-down front panel. On the JP-1000, a 4-channel preamplifier, a 7-element tone control (which JVC calls S.E.A.) is under the lid. The matching JM-S1000 power amplifier has a 180 watts-per-channel power rating from 20-20,000 Hz at 8 ohms with 0.06 percent THD. The preamplifier, by the way, doesn't include CD-4 circuitry. That's a separate add-on unit, also styled for rack-mounting, called the CD-4 1000. Prices of the new jumbo-quad components were not announced.
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The receivers, tuners and amplifiers introduced by Kenwood last fall and winter are unchanged this year, but there were new loudspeakers and turntables on view at the summer CES.

The LS line of speakers features a new dome tweeter that Kenwood calls the Daphne diaphragm as the fiber is made of pulp from Japan's Sweet Daphne tree. It is in model LS-406 ($149.95) and LS-405 ($119.95). Also offered is the smaller LS-403 ($84.95). All three are ported, high-efficiency, two-way systems.

Kenwood's three new single-play turntables include the KD-5033 direct-drive, fully automatic model with DC servo-motor driving the platter and a separate motor controlling tone arm movement. Wow and flutter is rated at 0.05 percent WRMS. Stateside price will be $279.95, Models KD-3033 ($179.95) and KD-2033 ($129.95) are both belt-drive systems with wow and flutter under 0.06 percent WRMS. The higher priced of the two is fully automatic, including repeat play, tone arm return and power shutoff.

Also new at CES, though already on sale in Far East exchanges, was Kenwood's front-loading cassette tape deck, model KX-620. It has an electronically-controlled motor and wow and flutter is 0.09 percent WRMS. It also features Dolby noise reduction, bias switching for chrome and ferric oxide tapes and separate equalization for ferric oxide, chrome and ferri-chrome (dual oxide) tape formulas. The KX-620's retail price in the U.S. is $219.95.
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• There's now an international outlook at KLH since the Cambridge, Mass. firm joined the Electro Audio Dynamics (EAD) group of companies that includes Peerless (a Danish manufacturer of loudspeaker components) and MB (a German manufacturer of microphones and headphones) as well as California-based Infinity.

At the KLH exhibit at CES, emphasis was on technology in the growing "Research X" series of loudspeaker systems. Highlight is a new tweeter, the DVR, made of samarium cobalt, a rare earth element with magnetic properties as much as ten times greater than that of ferrite magnets. KLH claims that the
DVR's performance resembles that of electrostatic drivers, but does not require an electrostatic speaker's high voltage power supply and output transformer.

The DVR is in two new top-of-the-line speaker systems. Model SC-X3, a colu mn speaker with 12-in. woofer, two midrange drivers and three tweeters, has a Stateside price of $399 (or $499 in rosewood).

Model SC-X2, priced at $299, is a reflex-type 3-way system with 12-in. woofer and two tweeters. The woofer in the Research X series is a new design with a box-like assembly containing strips of magnetic material that, according to KLH, focuses magnetic flux in the voice coil gap and permits the speaker to handle unusually high power. Called the Megaflux Woofer, the 12-in. version can withstand 200 watts RMS at 30 Hz. The 10-in. Megaflux is rated at 100 watts RMS at 30 Hz, while the 8-in. version will take 70 watts RMS. The 10-in. Megaflux is in model CL-4, a 3-way system with 41/2-in. midrange and 1-in. dome tweeter, priced at $189; model CL-3, with 21/2-in. and 2-in. cone tweeters, priced at $140; and model CB-10, with one 21/2-in. cone tweeter, priced at $110. An 8-in. Megaflux, together with 21/2-in. cone tweeter, is in the $85 model CB-8.
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There are three additions to Koss Corp.'s lineup of headphones. The Technician/VFR is the first stereophone with variable frequency response adjustment built in. Slide-type controls at the base of each earcup can be moved to alter bass response to the listener's taste. U.S. suggested retail price is $75.

A new 4-channel headphone called Phase/2+2 Quadrafone and Programmer has control functions built into a hand-held unit that adds sonic depth and dimension by means of a matrix decoder and synthesizing circuitry. At CES, Koss demonstrated the new quadrafone with an ABC Records quadraphonic album called "Perspectives," encoded with the Sansui QS matrix system. The disc is free with the Phase/2+2, which will retail in the States for $145. The third new Koss 'phone is the K/7, a lightweight dynamic stereophone priced at $17.95.
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• Latest (der zuletzt dazugekommene) Japanese audio manufacturer to set up a Stateside subsidiary is Lux Corporation, entering the marketplace with an array of "separates" - two preamps, four power amps, three integrated amplifiers, four tuners and a direct-drive turntable.

High power and high price head the list, the new Luxman M-6000 power amplifier offering 300 watts per channel RMS into 8 ohms with 0.05 percent THD, both channels driven, 20-20,000 Hz, and priced at $2,995. The matching Luxman C-1000 preamplifier, with exotic specs such as 0.006 percent distortion in the phono-preamp circuits, costs $895.

Lower-priced power amplifiers are the M-4000 (180 watts per channel RMS), M-2000 (120 watts per channel RMS) and M-1500 (75 watts per channel RMS), the latter priced in the States at $695. All are rated at the same 0.05 percent THD, 20-20,000 Hz, yardstick as the top-of-the-line model. Luxman's moderate-price CL-350 preamp is $495.

Tuner prices range from $595 for model T-310 with Dolby noise-reduction circuitry to $325 for model T-550. The new Luxman P-121 turntable is supplied without tone arm, but two mounting plates are provided, one precut for the Shure/SME arm. The tone arm plate is attached to the turntable by means of a bayonet mount to permit quick interchange-ability of tone arms. Specifications for the turntable include a rumble level of 70 dB or better, and wow and flutter no higher than 0.03 percent WRMS. Price in the U.S. is $495.
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With six new models, Marantz enters the cassette tape market for the first time. Two are front-load designs to match the styling of Marantz receivers, tuners and amplifiers.

The largest deck, model 5420, is a top-load model with built-in mixing panel handling up to four separate input channels in any combination of microphone and line input sources. Pan-pot controls permit lines three or four to be assigned to either left or right channels or any point between. The 5420 includes Dolby noise reduction circuitry which can, along with the mixer, be used externally. Also built in is a 25 microsecond de-emphasis switch forcorrectly decoding Dolby FM broadcasts. U.S. price of the new deck is $399.95.

Identical, but without Dolby circuitry, the model 5400 costs $349.95.

The front-loading cassette models are the 5220, with Dolby, priced at $349.95 and the 5200, without Dolby, $299.95.

Completing the new cassette line are models 5120 and 5100, both top-loading, at $299.95 with Dolby and $249.95 without. All six Marantz decks have a 3-position bias/ equalization switch for normal, chromium dioxide and ferrichrome (dual-oxide) tapes.

Another CES introduction was a series of five speakers, topped by the HD-88 floor-standing, 4-way system with 12-in. woofer, 41/2-in. midrange, 11/2-in. dome tweeter and two 1-in. dome supertweeters. Power handling capacity of the HD-88 is 200 watts integrated program material. Stateside price is $399.95. Model HD-77 ($259.95), also 4-way, is a bookshelf system with 12-in. woofer, 41/2-in. midrange, 11/2-in. dome tweeter and 1-in. dome supertweeter. Model HD-66 ($179.95) has a 10-in. woofer, 4>2-in. midrange, 1-in. dome tweeter, and a 150-watt power handling capacity. Model HD-55, rated at 100 watts, has an 8-in. woofer, 41/2-in. midrange, 11/2-in. dome tweeter and $129.95 price tag, while model HD-44 has an 8-in. woofer, 3-in. midrange, 3-in. tweeter and an $89.95 price tag. All are acoustic suspension designs.

The Marantz receivers introduced in recent months are unchanged, but there are several new individual components. Model 1150D is an integrated stereo amplifier offering 75 watts per channel RMS with both channels driven at 8 ohms, 20-20.000 Hz, at 0.1 percent THD. This is a 25 percent increase in power over model 1120, which it replaces, and THD is reduced 50 percent. The amplifier has built-in Dolby and costs $549.95. It is also offered without Dolby as model 1150 for $449.95

There are four new AM/FM tuners, with the $599.95 model 150 featuring a 3-in. oscilloscope that indicates 4-channel separation. There is a provision for adding a decoder for discrete 4-channel broadcasts when a system is approved by the FCC. A highlight of the tuner's circuitry is an 18-pole IF filter, also included in the lower-priced model 125 ($339.95) with two meters instead of the 'scope. Both models have a de-emphasis switch for use with Dolby equipment in decoding Dolby FM broadcasts, as does the model 112 tuner, priced at $199.95. The lowest-priced Marantz tuner, model 104, sells for $169.95.

Rounding out the new Marantz line of separates is a group of four basic amplifiers, model 510M rated at 256 watts per channel RMS from 20-20,000 Hz at 8 ohms with no more than 0.1 percent THD. It has two 3 1/2-in, VU meters and an $899.95 price tag. Without meters model 510 is $799.95. Model 250M, with meters, producing 126 watts per channel RMS over the same power band and with the same distortion level, is priced at $549.95. Model 140, with 75 watts per channel to the same specs, costs $299.95. And there is a new low-cost preamp, model 3200 at $199.95, an alternative to the two more elaborate Marantz preamplifiers, models 3600 and 3800, introduced previously.
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A new premium-grade cassette tape has been introduced by Maxell. Called UDXL, its dual-oxide formula combines gamma-hematite with cobalt-ferrite and works with normal (non-chrome) bias. The new tape is in a redesigned cassette shell that Maxell claims is made to tolerance three times higher than the minimum standard set by Philips' original patent. The UDXL tape features a new anti-jamming rib molded into the cassette, a larger tape window and embossed identification of sides A and B. The leader tape, timed to provide five seconds of cueing, also serves as a head cleaner.

Maxell also announced that it will offer its LN and UD tape formulas in blank 8-track cartridges for stereo and 4-track quadraphonic recording.
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While expanding their line of tape accessories the Memorex people are also moving into the record care field with a new record cleaner and record care kit. Also new are a tape head demagnetizer with interchangeable heads for use on 8-track and open-reel as well as cassette equipment, an 8-track head/capstan cleaner and a cassette cleaning kit. The latter two consist of fiber-type cleaning tape that is "played" through the machine. A bottle of head cleaning solution is included.

• The name Mesa stands for Manufacturas Electronicas, S.A., a manufacturer of record changers with plants in Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico.

The company has just entered the North American market with a line of four automatic multiple-play turntables. The stereo models, Mesa I, Mesa II and Mesa III, range in price from $49.95 to $89.95 including base, dust cover and cartridge. The Mesa CD IV, a quadraphonic model, will sell for about $139.95. The top-of-the-line models are equipped with a gimbal-mounted rectangular tone arm, vicous-damped cuing, anti-skate mechanism and 11-in. platter. The changer mechanism, employing the familiar umbrella spindle, is a design called Simplimatic that, according to Mesa, has 60 percent fewer moving parts.
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The Mincom Division of 3M, producer of the Wollensak cassette and cartridge machines, has an all-new, front-loading model in each format. Model CTR-1 is 3M's top-of-the-line cassette deck, priced Stateside at $599, with an all-solenoid control system and weighted RMS wow and flutter rating of 0.07 percent. Dolby noise reduction circuity, with a built-in 400 Hz calibration oscillator, is included, as is a copy switch for dubbing Dolby-ized tapes and a 25 microsecond de-emphasis switch for FM Dolby broadcasts.

Two 3-position bias and equalization switches are provided for regular, ferrichrome and chromium-dioxide tapes. For overseas customers a welcome feature is the deck's modular construction with removable power pack permitting easy conversion to 220-volt, 50-Hz operation.

Also featuring 50/60-Hz operation is 3M's new 8-track deck with Dolby, model CTR-3. It has the same layout and feather-touch controls as the cassette model, and a wow and flutter rating of 0.1 percent WRMS. Signal-to-noise ratio is 50 dB without Dolby, 60 dB with. U.S. suggested retail price is $399. A non-Dolby version, model CTR-2, is offered at $299.
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It's just a year since Magnavox introduced its MX series. The growing line now comprises seven stereo receivers, four
quadraphonic receivers, three turntables, five speaker systems and an outboard CD-4 demodulator.

Newest is model MX1671, a top-of-the-line 4-channel receiver with Dolby noise reduction circuitry for FM broadcasts, built-in CD-4 demodulator, full-logic SQ decoder and Regular Matrix decoder with an enhancement circuit for playing conventional stereo in simulated 4-channel. Power rating of the MX1671 is 50 watts RMS per channel at 8 ohms, 20-20,000 Hz, with 0.5 percent THD. U.S. retail price is $799.95. Quadraphonic receiver model MX1571, without Dolby, hasa25-watts-per-channel rating to the same specs and a $699.95 price tag.

Also featuring Dolby is a new stereo receiver, model MX 1581, rated at 60 watts per channel RMS and priced at $529.95. The 40-watts-per-channel MX1571 costs $429.95, while a 28-watts-per-channel model, the MX1561, is priced at $379.95. All three are rated into 8 ohms from 20-20,000 Hz with no more than 0.3 percent THD. Two budget models, MX1143 (20 watts per channel) and MX1142 (15 watts per channel), are rated at 0.5 percent THD, 20-20,000 Hz, at 8 ohms, and cost $299.95 and $249.95 respectively.

New loudspeakers in the MX line are model MX2770 at $100 and MX2760 at $75, both two-way systems. The new turntable, model MX1236, is a multi-play automatic, priced at $199.95, which includes an Audio Technica 12S 4-channel cartridge.
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• Though sold on the West Coast and in many overseas markets for several years, the Nikko brand is relatively obscure (finster, unauffällig).

Now it has "gone national" in a big way with the introduction of seven new receivers as well as several amps and tuners at CES. All seven receivers feature direct-coupled OCL pure complementary power amplifiers and the latest phase-lock-loop multiplex circuits in the tuner section. Prices in the U.S. range from $199.95 for model 2025—with ten watts RMS per channel, both channels driven, 20-20,000 Hz into 8 ohms with no more than 1 percent THD - up to $499.95 for model 9090. The latter is rated at 58 watts RMS per channel at no more than 0.3 percent THD.

Three integrated stereo amplifiers and three matching tuners are also offered by Nikko, as well as a jumbo power amplifier (with front-panel handles) and an elaborate matching preamplifier, the latter units called the Alpha and the Beta.
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Though column speakers were in evidence at a number of CES exhibits, the most radical design still belongs to Ohm Acoustics Corp. of Brooklyn, N.Y., whose Ohm F (with a tall price of $1,000 each) has attracted attention in audiophile circles since its introduction two years ago.

Based on a patent by the late Lincoln Walsh, the Ohm F has a single driver mounted face down on the top of the enclosure.

It is a tall cone, 12-in. in diameter and 17-in. deep, made of titanium and aluminum, with 3-in. voice coil. Instead of generating sound waves with piston-like action, it "ripples" the sound downward into the cabinet. Because the driver behaves like a cylinder pulsating radially, dispersion of treble frequencies is a ture 360 degrees.

The Ohm people claim that the Walsh method produces a signal that is in phase at all frequencies (they call it a "coherent sound") and thus reduces time-delay distortion.

Now there is a scaled-down version called the Ohm G. The cone is smaller, 8-in. in diameter and 9-in. deep, and faces down into a vented enclosure, while a 10-in. passive radiator on the backside of the square-shaped column provides low-frequency support and greater efficiency. Price of the Ohm G is $350. Details are available from Ohm Acoustics Corp., 241 Taaffe Place, Brooklyn, NY 11205.
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• Anmerkung : Ich hatte die OHM G mehrere Wochen bei mir stehen - es war überhaupt kein Vergleich mit der beeindruckenden OHM F, eher ein kläglicher Versuch, der mißlungen war. Selbst mit dem von Michael Gießen in Auftrag entwickelten Equalizer wie bei der BOSE 901 war damit kein Staat zu machen - die OHM G war ein totaler Flop.

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The giant Philips company used the CES exhibit floor as a forum to tout the unique features of its motional feedback (MFB) speaker system.

The relatively small (1/3 cubic foot volume) enclosure houses a bi-amplified, 3-way system, an amplifier rated at 40 watts RMS driving the woofer and a separate 20-watt amplifier driving the midrange and tweeter elements.

In the woofer's apex is an electronic sensor that automatically corrects for low-frequency distortion by feeding the signal to a comparator circuit, making possible a system resonance of 35 Hz (compared to the 75 Hz resonance of conventional speakers in an enclosure of comparable size).

MFBs can be stacked in parallel when more speakers are required in large rooms, or used as self-powered extension speakers in remote locations. Virtually any number can be connected to a single preamplifier. Philips points out that the MFB can also be connected to a power amplifier or receiver, as its high input impedance causes it to draw very little power.

The self-powered speaker senses the presence or absence of an incoming signal and, by means of an electronic relay, automatically switches itself on and off. Price of the Philips MFB in the U.S. is $299.50

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