The market for recorded music, measured by what manufacturers ship to retail and non-retail channels, experienced a decline in unit shipments and dollar value according to a <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America</A> (RIAA) report released February 19. Concurrently, accounts from US record retailers and mass merchandisers indicated a banner 1997.
It is often said that an audiophile is someone who spends half his time feeling unhappy with his system and the other half tweaking it. Is your audio life heaven or hell? After choosing your answer, tell us why you feel that way.
On February 18, <A HREF="http://www.harman.com">Harman International Industries Inc.</A> announced that it had signed two licensing agreements with <A HREF="http://www.nxt.co.uk">New Transducers Limited</A> (NXT) relating to NXT's flat-panel loudspeaker technology.
February 20---Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Brazil's president, has signed into law two bills intended to rein in that nation's widespread abuse of intellectual properties and bring Brazil into compliance with worldwide copyright law. One covers software piracy; the other, authorship rights.
This week, <A HREF="http://www.burr-brown.com">Burr-Brown</A> Corporation announced the PCM1733, a low-cost, CD-quality audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC) designed for high-volume, mass-market consumer audio applications.
For the second consecutive year, a film using the Nagra Digital Recorder (Nagra-D) as the location sound device has been nominated for an Oscar Award for Best Sound. The film this year is <i>L.A. Confidential</i>, which has received a total of 9 Oscar nominations. The winners will be named at the 70th Annual Academy Awards on March 23, 1998. Last year, <i>The English Patient</i>, which also used the Nagra-D, won the award for Best Sound
High-end audio has always supported a fringe element of manufacturers who make bizarre products backed up by loopy "research." Curious, strange, or just plain silly, these products, and the claims made for them, have given the audio hobby a sort of "Flat Earth Society" cult reputation.
San Francisco---<A HREF="http://www.vacuumtube.com/home.html"><I>Vacuum Tube Valley</I></A>'s tube and antique audio show here last week drew dozens of exhibitors and hundreds of attendees to the Airport Clarion Hotel over the Feb. 6-7 weekend. The heavy rains that caused mudslides in some Northern California communities, combined with high tides that flooded some freeways, kept attendance down. The show's turnout was "about half of what we expected," said <I>VTV</I> publisher/editor Charlie Kittleson.
Sony has recently revealed that they will be broadcasting digital audio via satellite as early as summer 1998. The planned service is the result of a deal made between Sony, Perfect TV, and Japan Sky Broadcasting Corporation (JSkyB) that is expected to close in April.
A good part of each day around here is spent perusing the internet for all things audio: manufacturer sites, audio news, newsgroups, equipment reviews, etc. What's found ranges from the good-intentioned to the well-financed, and much of what's out there also represents the labors of love many audiophiles lavish on their favorite hobby.