More Sibelius from Stockholm and Ehrling

This third disc of Sibelius symphonies from Stockholm and conductor Sixten Ehrling provides the best yet performances and recordings from that source. The previous entries had been characterized by cogent interpretations, but also muzzy sound and wildly wayward pitching.

I was able to (eventually) overcome those issues with the previous set, and today I think (hope?) that I am on target with my transfer - aided by a new and more well-behaved turntable than I have utilized in the past. More on that transition later.

The previous symphonies from Ehrling were recorded in 1952. These two are from the next year, so perhaps the engineers were getting more accustomed to working in the auditorium of the Stockholm Music Academy. The problem with tape speeds is not as severe as before - although the first movement of the Fifth Symphony was still a quarter-tone sharp.

These also are the best performances, to my ear, in the set, at least the ones I have heard. The Symphony No. 5 is famously dramatic, which is meat to the lion-maned virtuoso conductors of the world. Ehrling does not turn up the heat nearly as much as some, so the work's peroration is not as cataclysmic as it could be, or, arguably, should be.

The young Sixten Ehrling

That said, let's keep in mind that the Stockholm Orchestra only had about 70 members, so it could not provide the roof-raising splendor of such ensembles as the Berlin Philharmonic. Nor could the relatively small quarters of the Stockholm Academy accommodate such an approach.

The conductor, orchestra and hall are better suited to the more intimate and inward Symphony No. 6, discmate to the fifth. Here Ehrling's control works nicely and the piece comes off at least as well as others I have heard, not that I have made a study of the matter.

The contemporary critics (reviews are enclosed) were impressed by the disc and largely in sync with my comments above. Writing in High Fidelity, Paul Affelder noted that Ehrling's readings "are clear and forthright; everything is in its proper place. His smooth, even approach is well suited to the somewhat reticent Sixth. The first and particularly the last movement of the Fifth could stand a bit more tension and dramatic impact."

The critic of the New York Times added, "After a few hearings and mental readjustments ... the listener should fall completely in line with Ehrling's approach."

The Tale of the Turntable

There is no lack of turntables in my house. There are two in the den and several more in the basement. Years ago, I was an object of curiosity at work because I had one in my office. People used to bring other people by and say, "See, I told you he has a record player!"

Even so, it's been many years since I had the dubious pleasure of setting up a turntable, and there is nothing in modern life quite like it. You turn on a CD player and it plays. You push a button on your phone and Frank Sinatra springs to life (his voice, anyway).

But if you are addicted to old records, nothing will do other than a properly functioning turntable. And mine had become increasingly unreliable. A vintage (and remarkably heavy) Yamaha and a Technics modified to play 78s were both developing speed problems, presumably because the motors were wearing out.

So, after a long time dallying, I invested in a new machine, a Audio-Technica 1200 modified to accommodate 16-inch records (largely transcriptions from long ago). It will play all formats, and being direct drive, it comes up to speed immediately.

So far so good, but as you may know, turntables are the opposite of plug-and-play. More like scream-and-swear. You see, if you don't want to use the cartridge supplied with the machine, you have to take the headshell apart and replace its motive part. This entails removing the old cart and putting in the new one.

Sounds simple, but not for me! For one thing, the AT uses a universal type headshell, which neither the Yamaha nor the Technics did. This means that I had to disassemble one of the two Stanton cartridges I had installed on the other machines and install it on the new rig.

If you have never done this, it involves removing tiny screws and even tinier signal leads without breaking anything. I've been around long enough to have made every possible mistake while doing this, so I am very careful.

Me and my new rig

The disassembly of the old cart was relatively painless - but the new one was aggravating. I've encountered this before, but the AT cartridge was held in place by screws anchored by tiny round nuts. Trying to loosen those little devils was just the beginning of my troubles. At my advanced age, I don't see very well and my manual dexterity is approaching non-existent.

Putting the Stanton onto the new headshell was the real problem. My Stantons don't have little wings at the top for affixing to headshell screws and bolts. So I had to use an adapter. The problem is that these adapters extend the depth of the cartridge. So while I was able to attach one Stanton model to the headshell, it created a problem with the tone arm geometry. I had to take it apart and use the other model instead.

Why not just use the supplied cartridge, you might ask. It's because I have an array of styluses for the Stantons that won't fit on the AT. Stereo LPs use a different stylus width than monos. The old 78s use a much broader tip - and they differ in size depending on the age of the record (among other considerations).  

Once all this came together - and believe me, this is oversimplified - I had to check it out and see how it worked. It was fine except for two things. One, the stylus body I use for mono LPs bottomed on the record - again because of the tone arm geometry. Fortunately, I have a backup that doesn't have that problem.

Second, there was a dull 60hz hum in the left channel. Hum can be induced at several steps along the way - power wires too close to the sound wires, loose cable connections, etc. But the most likely source is at the cartridge head.

Not wanting to believe that I had to fiddle with the tiny cartridge wires again, I chose to eliminate the other potential culprits - the ground wire, the cable orientation and so on. None of them worked. So I took apart and reseated the cartridge wires. The hum is still there, but it's of a level that I can filter easily.

Despite this long tale of fumbling and frustration, I am very pleased with the turntable! I hope you enjoy this first attempt at putting it to use.

I don't usually go into the details of my methods - you are here to listen to and perhaps read about old records. But my great pal Ernie thought some of you might be interested in what goes on behind the scenes.