Fry Street Quartet Plays Haydn
So you think you know Haydn? Even if you know the master's compositions inside out and sideways, you've probably never heard sound quality like this outside of a live concert performance.
The acclaimed Fry Street Quartet turn their expertise to Haydn's String Quartet in D minor, OP. 9, No. 4 (ca. 1770) and String Quartet in F major, Op.77, No. 2 (1799) on an exceptionally revealing Kimber Kable-produced IsoMike recording.
This four-channel SACD hybrid disc set plays in CD stereo, SACD stereo, and SACD multichannel formats.
The Fry Street Quartet
Winners of the Millennium Grand Prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the First Prize at the Yellow Springs Competition, and prizewinners at the 2004 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the FSQ performs nationally and internationally.
At Isaac Sterns invitation the quartet made their 2001 Carnegie Hall debut in a performance that spoke of precision, preparation, excitement, profound heritage, and ultimate satisfaction (New York Concert Review). Their performance earlier that season at the 92nd Street Y was hailed by the New York Times as a triumph of ensemble playing.
The FSQ made their European debut with a concert tour of the Balkans sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the U. S. State Department. In 2002, the Fry Street Quartet was appointed the Faculty Quartet in Residence at Utah State Universitys Caine School of the Arts.
Innovative IsoMike Technology
IsoMike (Isolated Microphones) is an experimental acoustic baffle system, to address the interference of intrachannel sounds that results in compromised fidelity. For these 4-channel recordings, the microphones were suspended on four arms, separated by IsoMike baffles.
Most baffles absorb sound from mid- to high-range frequencies; lower frequencies are more difficult to absorb. Here, the unique shapes of the IsoMike baffles are advantageous. As lower frequencies flow around the heart- or egg-shaped baffles, they are scattered, effectively dissipating their energy.
Eliminating line-of-sight between the microphones seems to lower some fidelity robbing cancellations, this reveals a layer of extreme detail and a sense of increased sensitivity. Kimber took great care, therefore, to reduce the noise level within the auditorium during the recordings.
All recordings were made at a low enough level to assure that no clipping occurred, therefore you may need to raise your volume control more than when playing some commercially available CDs where the volume has been normalized and/or compressed. Since there is no limiting or compression the dynamic range might surprise you. | 
