Barry Willis

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Sour Notes in the Music Biz
News
Barry Willis  |  May 10, 2004  |  First Published: May 11, 2004  |  0 comments
In one of his old comedy routines, Steve Martin imagines himself hauled into court for bank robbery. He seeks dismissal of the charges on the grounds of forgetfulness. "Your Honor," he pleads, "I forgot that bank robbery was a crime."
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Spatial Coherence TVA-1 preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Barry Willis  |  Jul 01, 2020  |  First Published: Jul 01, 1989  |  2 comments
There are some standing jokes in the audio industry about the qualities a piece of equipment must have in order to be truly "high-end." One definition is that it must be unavailable, unreliable, and dangerous. Another is that it will sound great, break, and its manufacturer go out of business. By meeting at least half of these variables, the Spatial Coherence TVA-1 preamplifier qualifies as a classic audiophile product.
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Spectrum Analyzer for Pocket PC
News
Barry Willis  |  Mar 16, 2003  |  0 comments
The real-time spectrum analyzer (RTA) has long been one of the audio professional's most useful tools. Until about a decade ago, good RTAs consisted of separate signal generators, calibrated microphones, and bulky oscilloscopes. Then some manufacturers began offering handheld RTAs with inboard microphones and LED or LCD screens.
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Spooking the RIAA
News
Barry Willis  |  Oct 12, 2003  |  0 comments
Music industry executives may have a special dread of this year's Halloween festivities.
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Storms, Energy Crisis Threaten Electronics
News
Barry Willis  |  Jul 01, 2001  |  0 comments
Electronic equipment worth millions of dollars is damaged every year by lightning strikes and power outages caused by summer storms. These seasonal threats have been amplified by the possibility of rotating blackouts, as well as resulting recent policy changes by major utility companies.
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Students Cave to RIAA
News
Barry Willis  |  May 03, 2003  |  0 comments
Students are often described as people with more time than money. For four accused by the recording industry of being "nodes" for file sharing, the lack of money will almost certainly extend well beyond graduation day.
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Summer Begins with a Frenzy of Music-Related Lawsuits
News
Barry Willis  |  Jun 10, 2001  |  0 comments
Music industry attorneys may not enjoy much of a summer vacation. The season got off to a litigious start with a flurry of lawsuits by and against record labels and music-based websites.
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Supreme Court Tackles P2P
News
Barry Willis  |  Dec 13, 2004  |  0 comments
Long-simmering disputes about peer-to-peer file sharing, or P2P, will finally come to a boil sometime next year. On Friday, December 10, the US Supreme Court agreed to examine whether online services Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks, Inc. are liable for copyright infringement. Both services enable users to share music and other forms of copyrighted material, and both derive revenue from advertising.
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Svetlana vs. Svetlana
News
Barry Willis  |  Feb 23, 2004  |  0 comments
What's in a name?
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System Audio 1070 loudspeaker
Floor Loudspeaker Reviews
Barry Willis  |  Dec 19, 2013  |  First Published: Aug 01, 1998  |  0 comments
666systemau.1.pngDenmark has probably contributed more to loudspeaker technology than any other country in the world. Vifa, Dynaudio, ScanSpeak, and Peerless drivers—used in a huge variety of speakers—are all Danish. Products from companies such as JBL, Spendor, Linn, B&W, Celestion, KEF, Audio Physic, ProAc, and others are partially or wholly made in the little Scandinavian nation.

System Audio originated in 1984, when guitarist and electronics technician Ole Witthoft grew dissatisfied with the lack of realism he heard from most home audio systems and figured he could do better. He built some speakers for himself and for a few friends, with encouraging results. It's a familiar story: we all know competent hobbyist speaker builders. A few of them gain a bit of local notoriety, but most never venture further than making a few units for friends and relatives.

But Witthoft's reputation grew rapidly, and so did his business. Fourteen years later, his little startup has become a serious player in the loudspeaker market, with annual production in excess of 18,000 units.

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