Advent
Called the "big brother" of the Baby Advent speaker introduced last year, the Advent Prodigy features an 8-inch woofer with a high-excursion surround and aluminum voice-coil bobbin for a power-handling capability of more than 75 watts. The woofer is combined with a 3/4-inch Ferrofluid-filled soft-dome tweeter that is said to provide optimum imaging. Frequency response is given as 48 to 22,000 Hz ± 3 dB. Distortion is rated as less than 1 percent above 80 Hz with a 1-watt input. The crossover frequency is 3,000 Hz.
The Prodigy measures 22 inches high, 13 inches wide, and 84's inches deep. It weighs 22 pounds. Pecan-wood end caps and black textured vinyl provide the finish over dense fiberboard construction. Price: $299 per pair. Advent, Dept. SR, 4138 N. United Parkway, Schiller Park, IL 60176.
Hitachi's HTA-70F receiver includes a seven-band graphic equalizer, a seven-band fluorescent spectrum analyzer, and fluorescent power meters. The digital-synthesis AM/FM tuner has twenty station presets. Its stereo 50-dB quieting sensitivity is rated as 38.2 dBf, and channel separation is 40 dB at 1,000 Hz.
Function controls are light-touch push buttons, and electronic push-pads adjust volume and balance. The receiver is rated to deliver 70 watts per channel from 20 to 20,000 Hz with no more than 0.03 percent total harmonic distortion. The signal-to noise ratio in the phono section is 72 dB.
Price: $579.95. Hitachi Sales Corp, Dept. SR, 401 West Artesia Blvd., Compton, CA 90220.
Four new JVC cassette/receivers for the car are led by the KS-RX450, which has 22 watts per channel and Dolby B noise reduction. The digital PLL frequency-synthesis tuner automatically selects the closest strong station if the one being received becomes too weak for clear reception. A tuner noise-control circuit reduces interstation noise.
When the signal is blocked by obstructions, a separation circuit and high-cut filter help to screen out noise. There are twenty station presets and a local/distant button.
Line-level input and output terminals are included, along with a preamp fader control and separate bass and treble controls. The tape section can play back chrome and metal tape and has an ignition-key-off release to protect cassettes from damage. Price: $399.95. Other models in the line are priced as low as $229.95. JVC, Dept. SR, 41 Slater Dr., Elmwood Park, NJ 07407.
TDK---The MP series of 8mm video tapes from TDK uses a new high-density magnetic material called Super Fina vinx, said to be a "super-microscopic" metal-powder formulation. The tape is also said to have a more durable magnetic-particle binding system that reduces noise levels and helps prevent dropouts and irregularities. The energy capacity of Super Finavinx is rated as four times that of typical 1/2-inch video tape. For greater smoothness, irregularities in the base film have been reduced to 0.02 micrometer or less. The MP tape may be used for either frequency-modulated or digital PCM recording.
Prices: 30-minute length, $14.99; 60-minute length, $16.99. TDK Electronics, Dept. SR, 12 Harbor Park Dr., Port Washington, NY 11050.
Panasonic---The RQ-92 Karaoke Song-mate sing-along machine from Panasonic includes a double cassette deck, a microphone, and a 7-inch speaker. The double deck enables singers to mix their live vocals with instrumentals from one tape onto a blank tape. There are two mike inputs and an electric-guitar jack with a separate volume control. A variable electronic echo gives the illusion of depth to vocals. A tape-speed dial can raise or lower the playback pitch of a recording by as much as 12 percent to fit the singer's vocal range. A headphone jack is included. Price: $299.95. Panasonic, One Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094.
Pioneer's PD-5010 Compact Disc player incorporates the company's Lin ear Servo System and a Disc Stabilizer for improved tracking. Scanning can be done at two speeds with the program audible. The player can be programmed to play back twenty-seven tracks in any order, and the programmed sequence or the entire disc may be set to repeat. Controls allow skipping back to the beginning of the current track or for ward to the beginning of the next track. A headphone jack is included. The drawer-loading player is finished in black. Price: $299. Pioneer Electronics, Dept. SR., P.O. Box 1720, Long Beach, CA 90801.
Energy Loudspeakers--The Energy ESM-3 two-way ported bookshelf speaker pairs an 8-inch poly propylene woofer with a 3/4-inch poly-amide soft-dome tweeter cooled with Ferrofluid. The woofer is claimed to have quick transient response and low distortion. Strategic bracing and damping are said to eliminate enclosure resonances. Price: $250 per pair. Optional matching floor stands are available for $35 each. Energy Loudspeakers, Audio Products International, Dept. SR, 135 Torbay Rd., Markham, Ontario L3R I G7.
Radio Shack--The Archer Video/Audio Control Center from Radio Shack can be used to switch base-band video signals among two video-cassette recorders, a video disc player, another audio or video source such as a TV receiver, an external processor, and a video monitor. Several components connected to the control center can be operated at the same time without changing any connections. The Archer switcher is said to eliminate the need to reintroduce TV-broadcast frequencies when transferring video signals.Price: $69.95. Radio Shack, Dept. SR, 1800. One Tandy Center, Fort Worth, TX 76102.
The tonearm of the Denon DP-23F fully automatic, direct-drive turntable has a built-in electronic control system that replaces mechanical damping elements, springs, and weights. Both anti-skating and tracking forces are electronically controlled. Tracking force can be set between 0 and 3 grams for cartridges weighing from 4 to 9 grams. The Dynamic Servo Tracer system in the tone arm is said to effectively cancel arm and cartridge mass. The motor is a linear-drive (non-cogging) model governed by magnetic sensing, with the rotation speed compared to a PLL quartz oscillator. The wow-and-flutter rating is given as 0.003 percent w-rms. Price: $225. Denon America, Dept. SR, 27 Law Dr., Fairfield, NJ 07006.
A tube-shaped car bass speaker called the Bazooka is intended to be installed behind the front seats of small trucks without impeding movement of the seats. It will also fit in the rear corners of a hatchback, station wagon, or van. The speakers may be placed on end or laid horizontally. With horizontal placement, the open end of each tube should be 3 inches from a corner of the vehicle's interior. Such "corner-loading" placement is said to be the most effective for this speaker. A bass-reflex system with a port just over the front of the driver, the Bazooka has a 6 1/2-inch woofer. Nominal impedance is 4 ohms, and maximum suggested amplifier power is 200 watts. Rated frequency response is 45 to 1,500 Hz. A 1-watt input is said to produce a 98-dB sound-pressure level in a typical installation. Connection is by spring-loaded terminal clips. The high-impact plastic enclosure measures 18 inches long. Price: $179.95 per pair. Southern Audio Systems, Dept. SR, P.O. Box 1515, Denham Springs, LA 70727 1515.
Sansui--The SV-M25 color video monitor/ receiver from Sansui has a high-resolution 25-inch picture tube with 100-degree deflection. A built-in stereo amplifier with 5 watts per channel is connected to two magnetically shielded speakers, which can either be placed on top of the cabinet or mounted on the sides. An MPX jack is provided for connecting an adapter to decode broadcast stereo sound.
A MULTI DIMENSION switch simulates stereo from mono sources and increases the channel separation and dynamic range of stereo programs.
The random-accessed electronic-synthesis tuner can receive twelve VHF, seventy UHF, and fifty-eight cable channels. Most of the controls are located beneath the screen in a flip-down panel. They can also be adjusted with the infrared remote control.
Horizontal resolution, improved by the comb filter, is 400 lines. Precise control of the electron beam is said to eliminate problems with convergence and linearity. The stable power supply is said to produce a wider dynamic range of whites to blacks. Output jacks for video and stereo audio signals allow the SV-M25 to be connected to a projection TV or to a second monitor. Input jacks accept the audio and video signals of a VCR or video-disc player. The SV-M25 measures 255's inches wide, 24 inches high, and 20% inches deep. It weighs 100 pounds.
Price: $1,000. Sansui Electronics, Dept. SR, 1250 Valley Brook Ave., Lyndhurst, NJ 07071.
Alpine A folded-horn effect is created by the Alpine 6490 car subwoofer when its opening is directed toward the corner of the vehicle's interior. The speaker has an airtight acoustic-suspension chamber and an acoustic labyrinth between the driver and the opening. It is intended for use in a hatchback, station wagon, pickup, or recreational vehicle.
It can be used with amplifiers rated at up to 150 watts per channel. The band width of the 6490 is 30 to 500 Hz.
Mounting flanges and quick connectors for speaker wires are provided. The enclosure measures 20 x 73 x 55 1/8 inches, and the unit weighs less than 13 pounds.
Price: $250 per pair.
Alpine Electronics, Dept. SR, 19145. Gramercy Pl.. Torrance, CA 90501.
Spectryiscan The flat, wide-band input buffer-amplifier in the Spectrascan LCA-10 stereo preamplifier is followed by a passive RIAA equalizing network and an other output buffer-amplifier. The combination is said to provide low noise levels and immunity to phono over load. Differential and complementary bipolar circuitry is designed for maxi mum linearity with a minimum of feed back. Cartridge reactance is isolated from the RIAA network, and load capacitance is switchable to match any cartridge.
The LCA-10 has inputs for phono, tuner. CD. video/aux, and two tape decks, with provisions for dubbing in either direction. A record-selector switch permits recording from one source while listening to another.
Price: $1,095. Spectrascan, Inc., Dept. SR, 5923 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80907.
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Source: Stereo Review (USA magazine)