Is there a future for a high-rez music medium?
Clearly from last week's survey, most of you feel that SACD and DVD-Audio are on the skids. But is it terminal? Do you think that high-resolution audio has a future?
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Home Theater, Music, or Both?
I've watched from the sidelines with great interest the recent debate in this column over Home Theater (footnote 1) At one extreme is the suggestion that <I>Stereophile</I> begin reviewing video and Home Theater products. The other end of the spectrum was best expressed by John Atkinson at <I>Stereophile</I>'s 1993 High-End Hi-Fi Show in San Francisco. Hearing the booming bass overflow of a Home Theater demonstration blasting down a hallway, he said, "They've brought <I>televisions</I> to our hi-fi show!"
Vinyl & the Endless Ping-pong Match
Here in Chicago the other day, I was on my way to an appliance store, so audio was the last thing on my mind. But, as if by some miraculous intervention (or just stupidity), I parked and went in the wrong store: "Why does this appliance store have bins and bins of CDs in it?" Realizing my mistake, I found the stoves and ranges I was looking for next door—but not before noticing bins and bins of used LPs behind all those CDs.
The 5th Element #26
Perhaps I first should have consulted my horoscope in the local newspaper. But I can't imagine what it could have said that might have warned me off. So, in blissful ignorance, I went to the local big-box consumer-electronics chain retailer and laid down my lettuce. I thought I was buying the SACD version of Norah Jones' <I>Come Away With Me</I> (Blue Note 5 41472 8), but, by the end of the affair, I felt I'd gotten <I>The Royal Scam</I> (footnote 1).
NHT SuperTwo loudspeaker
June is a always a perplexing time for me. The weather is lovely, the mountain wildflowers are blooming, things are pretty calm at work.....but it's Bonnie's birthday.
Added to the Archives This Week
From the October 2004 issue, Larry Greenhill reviews the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/1004rel">REL Studio III subwoofer</A>, explaining, "Determined to experience sub-bass in my listening room, I arranged with REL's US importer, Sumiko Audio, to audition their largest subwoofer, the Studio III."
Audiophile Inroads at AES
You hear a dismaying amount of bad sound on the Audio Engineering Society (<A HREF="http://www.aes.org">AES</A>) convention floor. Tizzy high frequencies and mushy bass are more common than not, but encouragingly, good-sounding products tend to draw small crowds or generate a buzz among attendees.
Is There a Future for Hi-Rez?
Is there a future for high-resolution recordings? Why do so many people fail to hear a difference between them and ordinary CDs? Why do some purportedly high-rez discs sound so bad? What obstacles does the audio industry face in trying to make high-rez a commercial success?
Focus On Multi-Channel Music At AES
Multichannel music was addressed by several seminars at this year's AES. On Friday, the Center Channel Challenge convened with a trio of recording engineers moderated by DTS's Jeff Levison.
What is the primary thing stalling SACD or DVD-Audio?
While some may disagree, it would seem that both competing high-rez audio formats, SACD and DVD-Audio, have stalled in the marketplace. Why do you think this is?