Ludwig van Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas
<I>"All</I> of them?!"
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What work of music would you most like to see released as a multi-channel disc? Why?
With all of the new SACD and DVD-Audio surround-enabled hardware finally coming out, we have to wonder what you'll really want to do with all of those extra channels. What piece of music do you think is especially suited to five or six channels?
Digital Radio Still Waiting To Take Off
One of the hottest audio technologies at the recent CES, as far as the general public was concerned, wasn't SACD, or DVD-Audio, or even new MP3 players. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, digital satellite radio jumped into the limelight by announcing its impending rollout this year. Two companies are poised to compete for the top spot, lining up car manufacturers and CE companies in a classic format battle that is sure to heat up by summer.
Freebies Fading as Napster Goes Commercial?
Money and legal pressure can make even the fiercest tiger change its stripes. Nearing the end of prolonged litigation with the music industry, <A HREF="http://www.napster.com/">Napster</A> has begun to go commercial.
Added to the Archives This Week
Writer Chip Stern has regarded the form-over-function products from "lifestyle" companies, such as Bose and B&O, for years now with great amusement. But can audiophiles find a product that looks as good as it sounds? Stern calls the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/307/">Linn Classik CD receiver</A> a "sleek, unobtrusive, uncomplicated design that does double duty as a lifestyle system and—for those who don't want the hassle of separate components—a true high-end performer." Too good to be true? Stern expounds.
Be, Inc.'s HARP: "Reference Platform" for Internet Audio?
At massive gatherings like the Consumer Electronics Show, some truly newsworthy developments by small companies go unnoticed, overshadowed by splashy launches put on by bigger firms. One such is <A HREF="http://www.be.com/">Be, Inc</A>.'s "Home Audio Reference Platform" (BeIA HARP), an all-purpose computer audio system. HARP will let computers access and broadcast Internet-based audio and services, and will also let them play CDs, tapes, and LPs.
Philips' Online Strategy: Link Customers, Dealers
The Internet has become an integral part of <A HREF="http://www.philips.com/">Philips Electronics</A>' global sales strategy. The Dutch technology conglomerate has announced a plan for online marketing that will link customers to more than 60,000 Philips dealers worldwide.
CEA Inducts Seven New Members Into Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame
Hundreds, if not thousands, of new products are unveiled to the consumer electronics industry each year at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But there would be no new products without the efforts of the scientists, engineers, journalists, inventors, company founders, and retailers who bring a product from concept to market.
Fine Tunes #31
I just love hearing about cheap tweaks sent in by our readers. Here's a corker from Tony (StorybookWeaver@aol.com):
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Carla Bley: The Further Adventures of the Lone Arranger
Even though she calls her new band, 4x4, a "small" group, it's a <I>big</I> band—almost too big for the stage of the Knitting Factory on the night of October 11, 2000, as it makes its first American appearance. Bley's piano is so far to stage left, she has to lean against the wall and stoop under a hanging monitor speaker to address the audience. Four music stands dominate the rest of the apron—her front line of tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, trumpet, and trombone stand shoulder to shoulder, blocking the audience's view of Larry Goldings and his Hammond B3, drummer Billy Drummond, and bassist Steve Swallow, who stands 15' back and on a riser. If she'd showed up with her 17-piece band, they'd have had to have hung the horn sections from the rafters, like the sound system.