Fine Tunes #29
I must share with you an e-mail from reader Gene Radice (mediphor@ptd.net), in response to my September "Fine Tunes," on avoiding slap-echo. "Your columns are so refreshing to read," it began.
Continue Reading »
LATEST ADDITIONS
Hovland HP-100 preamplifier
There's a whorish aspect to reviewing that some readers and industry critics never tire of mentioning, as if they've stumbled onto some great revelation: that we writers seem to flit from new product to new product, sometimes gushing like cracked fire hydrants over one amplifier one month, only to gush over another amp the following month.
Technics DVD-A10 DVD-Audio player
If you search for "DVD-A" on this <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com">website</A>, you can get the whole confusing story of the format, which has been the subject of one of the strangest format launches of recent years: First it's on, then it's off. The watermark is audible. No, it's not. Oops, it <I>is</I>—back to square one. There's software, there's no software. (There's <I>not</I>—only one demo disc officially available in September 2000, when I wrote this review!)
Bits vs Atoms
Metallica's Lars Ulrich and Creed's Scott Sapp don't get it. But Courtney Love understands, and so does Stereophile's Jon Iverson, who pointed out in the October issue's "As We See It" that the dispute between the RIAA and Napster is more important to audiophiles than it might seem. The Napster-MP3 phenomenon is a crack in the dike that controls music distribution. How the water seeps through that crack now will determine how it will flow when the drip turns into a trickle, the trickle into a stream, the stream into a river. Audiophiles and pop-music fans alike will be in the same boat.
Continue Reading »
What are the top three discs in your music rotation right now?
New music, or a fresh interpretation of an old classic, is what keeps a music lover's life interesting. What three releases have been in heavy rotation for you recently?
Added to the Archives This Week
Describing the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/288/">Audio Research Reference Two preamplifier</A>, Michael Fremer writes "Audio Research's first 21st-century, audiophile-quality line-stage preamplifier combines retro-tech vacuum-tube amplification and power-supply circuitry with innovative, remote-controlled gain, balance, tape monitoring, and signal routing. The price is also 21st-century: $9995." Worth every penny? Fremer offers his assessment.
Theta Upgrades Preamp/Power Combo
Flexibility is the name of the game as <A HREF="http://www.thetadigital.com/">Theta Digital</A> plays it. The innovative Agoura Hills, CA company has announced the Casablanca II, a modular upgradable preamp/processor for music and cinema applications, as well as two-channel modules for its Dreadnaught power amplifier.
Hearing and Vision Closely Linked, Scientists Say
When audiophiles speak of "imaging," they may not be using the term metaphorically. Recent research at the University of California at San Diego's School of Medicine indicates that hearing and vision are more closely related than had been previously thought.
Is the Best Seat in the House Now in the Garage?
Audiophiles are just warming up to the debate on how (or why) they should set up multi-channel audio in the home (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10849/">previous story</A>). But perhaps the listening room will ultimately take a back seat to a more obvious choice for a multi-channel environment: the automobile. Several multi-channel products are being announced for the autosound market, including a new Fujitsu DVD player with 5.1 audio.
More Digital Audio Announcements From Comdex
Last week's Comdex convention in Las Vegas showcased more examples of convergence between the consumer electronics and computer industries, especially in the areas of portable devices, home theater, and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10893/">digital audio</A>. DVD-Audio also received notice at the show, as chip developer <A HREF="http://www.zoran.com/">Zoran Corporation</A> announced the Vaddis V, its latest DVD multimedia processor, slated for mass production in spring 2001.