Via wonkosane.
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An owner of an audiophile record label recently asked us how much we figured audiophiles spent on music purchases each year. We reckoned it would be smart to simply ask you directly. How much money do you spend on recorded music each year?
July came in this year like September: cool, crisp night air and bright, clear days. The humidity and temperature remained low throughout the week I spent setting up the Denon AVR-4800 surround A/V receiver. So, crouched down behind its crowded rear panel, wiring up eight loudspeakers and multiple inputs, I wasn't sweating from the temperature. Launching the new multichannel Denon AVR-4800's surround audio-visual system required hard work, trial and error, and an emergency trip to the UPS terminal in the Bronx. While there were great musical pleasures ahead, the path to music-surround knowledge was rougher than I ever imagined it might be.
Just after I agreed to review the Accuphase M-2000 monoblocks, importer Arturo Manzano began urging me to take the Accuphase PS-1200 Clean Power Supply as well.
<I>"I've got the world on a string, sitting on the rainbow<BR>Got the string around my finger, what a life, Mama, I'm in love.<BR>Life's a beautiful thing, as long as I hold the string<BR>I'd be a silly so-and-so if I should ever let you go."</I>—Ted Koehler
Billing itself as a "personalized gateway for music discovery," <A HREF="http://www.mog.com">MOG</A> (a port manteau combination of "music" and "blog") has come out of beta testing and announced "the launch of your favorite new way to waste time on the Internet," MOG 2.0. Since my email tagline is "Waste more time: Read my <A HREF="http://blog.stereophile.com/wesphillips/">blog</A>," John Atkinson reckoned that I was the logical reporter for this new development.
The announcement went out on April 1: Apple Computers and EMI Group had scheduled a press conference for April 2 and the announcement was going to be "historic." It <I>was</I> April 1, after all, and there had been rumors swirling about for months that Apple Computers and Apple Corp. had settled their trademark differences as a first step to a bigger display of collaboration. I forwarded the announcement to Jon Iverson under the heading "April Fool's Joke or Genuine Press Release?"
With buds and 'phones in hand, headphone enthusiasts from around the US and beyond are about to plug in in San Jose, California. Their destination is the Radisson Hotel, where the Second Annual International Head-Fi Meet takes place on April 21 and 22. Organized by <A HREF="http://www.head-fi.org">Head-Fi</A>, an online discussion board boasting 53,907 members and a whopping 2,810,005 posts annually, the meet promises two very full days of interactive panels, DIY demos, and vendor exhibits.
Why rage against an ill wind? I realize that complaining incessantly about the ongoing plundering of rock, classic and otherwise, by Madison Avenue ain't gonna make it stop but is there no one who can resist the allure of cash?