Marsalis Family Creates New Label
Branford Marsalis is unhappy with the music industry. Unlike many of his colleagues, he intends to do something about it.
LATEST ADDITIONS
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Traitors In Our Midst
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. This is especially true for music lovers who have begun to fear that record companies <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11261/">purposely corrupt</A> the data on audio CDs in an effort to restrict their use as a source for copies or MP3 files.
Orchestras Fight Noise Law
Should performing arts be limited by health or environmental concerns? The Association of British Orchestras thinks not, according to a recent <A HREF="http://www.bbc.co.uk">BBC News</A> item.
Pure Audiophile is Born
It's a brave group of souls who run today's audiophile music labels. Sane business minds would likely deem it foolhardy to start a new specialty label these days, but sometimes one's passion for music overrides the rational impulse to try something a little bit more secure (like perhaps an Internet company?).
Added to the Archives This Week
Jonathan Scull tackles the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/515/">Pioneer DV-AX10 SACD/DVD-A/CD player</A>, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of one of the first "universal" disc machines. Scull carefully compares the DV-AX10 to stand-alone SACD, DVD-A, and CD players to assess whether, in fact, you <I>can</I> have it all in one tidy package.
Pioneer DV-AX10 SACD/DVD-A/CD player
At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2001, Pioneer announced the US launch of the DV-AX10, the first of their long-awaited "universal" disc players, previously available only in Japan. Right out of the box, it plays SACD (two-channel only), DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, CD, and CD-R discs. For two-channel operation—which is exclusively how I examined it—and via its easy-to-navigate menus (footnote 1), I set the DV-AX10 to two channels as the default for all modes, including SACD. Except for hybrid discs, which I'll come to presently, the DV-AX10 is, blessedly, a set-it-and-forget-it machine.
An Amusement Park for the Mind
"An amusement park for the mind." That was how, some years ago, one engineer described the Audio Engineering Society's biannual conventions, which alternate between European and American venues. The 111th convention, subtitled "Advancing the Art of Sound," was held at the cavernous Jacob Javits Center on Manhattan's west side in early December. (It had originally been scheduled to take place last September, but was postponed for the obvious reason.)
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Fine Tunes #44
I hereby award, by the powers invested in me, the first Tweaker from Hell award to (drum roll, please)...me.
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Recording of February 2002: Love, Shelby
<B>SHELBY LYNNE: <I>Love, Shelby</I></B><BR> Island ISLF 15426-2 (CD). 2001. Glen Ballard, prod.; Scott Campbell, eng.; Bob Clearmountain, mix. ADD? TT: 42:19<BR> Performance <B>****?</B><BR> Sonics <B>****</B>
Arcam DiVA A85 integrated amplifier
Although audiophiles may muster little enthusiasm for the home-theater-driven audio marketplace of the 21st century, its prerequisites have inspired manufacturers to cram as wide a range of flexible programming features into as highly resolved a set of performance packages as possible. Thus we're now witnessing a new generation of exceptionally musical electronics with high-end performance targeted at two-channel enthusiasts, but all primped and prepped for integration into an expanded audio-video rig.