One of the dirty little secrets of the recording business is that some of its most precious assets are slowly self-destructing. In one example, a popular mastering tape supplied by Ampex to recording studios during the '70s and early '80s has been found to prematurely shed its oxide coating at an alarming rate due to poor quality control of the binding agents that hold the magnetic particles to the Mylar.
Where does "fair use" end and piracy begin? Can consumers have open access to digital information and entertainment while respecting the rights of the creators of such content? Is there an inevitable collision between consumers and the rights of intellectual property owners? Can a happy balance be found in a world of high technology?
A few weeks ago, we ran an <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10957/">item</A> concerning drummer Billy Higgins' declining health and rapidly growing medical expenses. Apparently, his fans have come through generously, because we just received the following:
Who says classical music is having trouble finding a contemporary audience? According to the latest <A HREF="http://www.arbitron.com/">Arbitron</A> webcast ratings, for December, 2000, classical music and internet-only webcaster <A HREF="http://www.beethoven.com">Beethoven.com</A> ranked number one with the most aggregate tuning hours (ATH) for the month. ATH describes the sum total of all hours that listeners tune to a given channel.
With the April issue of <I>Stereophile</I>, the "Recommended Components" list is again on its way to subscribers' audiophile homes around the world. But there has always been controversy surrounding the popular feature. George Reisch explores the problem in <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//thinkpieces/322/">"Recommended Components"—the St. Hubbins' Syndrome!</A>
The last time we asked the tube-or-transistor question was almost three years ago (see the results <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/showvote.cgi?40">here</A>). So, we're curious if reader opinion has shifted when it comes to tube versus solid state amplifier technology.
It's well known that women have better high-frequency hearing than men do, as well as a lower threshold of sensitivity. What's loud to most men is louder to most women.
Is there really a benefit to those pointy feet you have? Jonathan Scull has been surfing the Internet for cone-footer tweaks and theories and reveals his latest haul of hot finds in <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//finetunes/319/">Fine Tunes #32</A>.
If you've visited this website before, you'll notice that we're sporting a new look this week. You'll also find that, in addition to the new sheet metal and colors, there are also plenty of changes under the hood. The <I>Stereophile</I> site was originally launched on December 1, 1997. The old model lasted over three years, but three years is an eternity in Internet time, and we couldn't resist taking all of the comments readers have sent in over the months and sorting through them for fresh ideas.
Last week, <A HREF="http://www.philips.com">Philips Electronics</A> and Marantz Japan jointly announced that Marantz Japan intends to buy the Marantz trademark, as well as the European and American sales organizations, from Philips. The companies say that the transaction is due to take effect in the coming months. In addition, Philips says it intends to sell shares equal to 1.5% of all shares held in Marantz Japan, effectively reducing its ownership percentage from 50.5% to 49%.