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CERTIFIED

RECORD REVUE

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. . . the progress which started when Fairchild turned out its first piece of Professional recording equipment. Never a company to be satisfied with the status quo, Fairchild’s engineering staff de-veloped one major improvement after another. keeping giant-steps ahead of the industry. The transition and expansion to pro-fessional-quality equipment for the serious home musie enthusi-ast was a logical one. Today, with an established record of achieve-ment. Fairchild presents its piice de rćsistance in stereophonic transducers ...

The SM-1 Rotating Magnet Compatible Stereo/Monophonic Cartridge. Its high output (16.2 mv at 7 cm/sec) permits quiet operation of the most economi-cal of kit amplifiers. while the wide response (better than 2:2 db from 20-15000 cycles) will test the finest stereo amplifier-preamplifier units on the market. These features coupled with high vertical and lateral compliance make the SM-1 a stand-out choice for your musie system. And Fairchild's rugged design will stand the abuse of any record changer. Yet it will enhance the performance of the finest Professional arms and turn-tables.

See and hear the Fairchild SM-1 at your sound dealer now. Price, including installation hardware, gram gauge and screwdriver . . .

$34.95.

FAIRCHILD RECORDING EOUIPMENT CORP. 10-40 45th Ave., Long Island City 1. N. Y.

IN A receni issuc of one of the pocket-sized ‘‘digest" magazines, is an artiele on the “new miracle of stereophonic sound." This artiele. written by a purported “expcrt" in the field, is dcsiRncd to educate the public on the “why’s, how’s, and whereforcY’ of stereo. After I had somewhat incredulously rcad and re-rcad this gem, the most charitable opinion I could muster of the artiele was that it honsted stereo in generał in a widcly read mass circulation magazinc.

As far as any true picture of stereo is concerncd or what is neccssary to achicvc optimum quality in this medium, it was grossly lacking. In fact it presented the "packagc-consolc” conccpt of stereo in the most glowing terms and, at the same time, took a number of deroeatory swipcs at com-ponent stereo. It would requirc far too much space to document the inaccuracics and mis-leading statements that abound in this artiele, but I have a suggestion to make . . . as in the easc of radio and TY politieal broadcasts whcrc opponents ean dcmand **equal time" . . . so should somc one of our morę crudite eomponents spokesmen write an artiele show-ing their products' adwantages. as well as point out the true faets of stereo and who pionccrcd in bringing it to the public.

Ii the eomponenl manufaeturer is to rc-main in business and maintain the integrity of his products. it would behoovc him to łake a page out of his opponents’ book and utilizc cvcry aspect of publicity and public rcla-tions that can show his products in a favor-able light.

With the Fali approaching, the tempo of hi-fi and record life quickcns and already the record relcascs are beginning to swell in number. A notę in passing ... I can’t rcvicw what is not sent to me and somc of the record companies are far morę conscicntious in their dcalings with rcviewers than others. Of course I am as sclcctivc in what I rcvie\v as any other critic bul. as in this issuc, when therc seems to be a prcpondcrancc of London and Mrrcury rccords, it is usually duc to rcgularity and numlicr of relcascs sent to mc, when the rccords arrivcd in relation to my dcadlinc. etc. It does not mean I own stock in either of these companies nor that I havc a certain predilection for their products. It is true that both of these companies are noted for the cxccllcnt sound qualitics of their rccords . . . hut there are many other companies who make rccords and if they send them in and they pass muster as to quality,

I am only too happy to rcvicw them.

It is patcntly impossiblc to rcvicw all the rccords a revicwcr gets. which is why this column was named ‘‘Ccrtificd." I frccly ad-mit that many rccords ncvcr get past the first 6 or 7 minutes on my turntable, their sonie qualities obviously not permitting con-sideration as a "Ccrtificd” product.

On the other side of the coin, I am surę I don’t havc to point out that just bccausc a certain record which has bccn highly praised in other joumais, doesn’t appear in this column, is no rcason to supposc that the record is not up to snuff . . . it is simply that it was ncver sent to mc for rcvic\v.

Just thought I would rcmind you of my policies before we swing into another audio season!

TCHAIKOySKY

TIIE NUTCRACKER (Complete Bal-

let)

L’Orchestre de lu Sui»»r Roniunde con-ducted l»v Ernest Ansermet. London

Stereo CŚA2203. Price $11.90. Two disca.

Anscrmct employs a somewhat slowcr pa»-e throughout this work than does Dorali and Rodziński in their vcrsions, but what hc lacks in spirit he makes up for in cohesicc balancc and lyric beauty. Abovc all, he gets from the London cnginccrs a marvclouslv realistic job of recording. Fach section of the work is treated separatcly as to sonie wcight and thus the ‘‘Suger Plum” scqucncc is airily spa-cious and gossamer in texturc . . . and on the other hand the ‘‘Baltle of the Mouse King" cpisodc is darkly sonorous and weighty in brass and percussion.

Stereo efiects are discreet as to direction-ality, Iłcttcr in matters of depth. Strings are outstanding herc for their roundcd smooth-ness and lack of "edginess." The frcqucncv and dynamie rangę was impressively wide and, all in all. the album should delight Iłoth musie lovcr and audiophile. Oh, I almost forgot, the famous pistol shot in the “Mouse Battlc”! It is on the record all right, but I’m afraid the London-crs used a dainty .22 instead of the big .45 blaster that was madę famous in the old Mercury mono recording!!

HANSON

SYMPHONY #2 (“ROMANTIC*) LAMENT FOR BEOWOI.F Eastman Rochester Symphony Orchc»tra and (!hi»ru> rondnrti-d by Howard linii-»on. Mrrcury Mono MC50I92. Price $3.98.

This is a tremendous recording. both from the sonie aspeets which are dazzling and from the rcpcrtoirc. I fccl Hanson’s "Romantic" symphony is one of the finest American works evcr written ... a genuine master-piecc. It is an extrcmcly colorful scorc abounding in spirited rhythmic dcviccs and on the over-all basis compounded of lyric elcments of compclling beauty. It is an casily accessiblc work and if youYe always shied away from American symphonies, you will find this cxceptionally palatable.

The ‘‘Lament for Bcowolf” is also of inter-est. It is a highly dramatic. suncrcharged work for chorus and orchestra that makes

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