Text to Speech
Kind of cool—and very well done, although the first thing I loaded in was "argh," which Kate could not pronounce.
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Ellington's Sound of Love
I can't believe I missed Clive James' wonderful paean to the Duke in <I>Slate</I> earlier this month. Better linked to late than never, I suppose.
Mystery Solved?
Did the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau rebound "like a cork" in response to losing their massive anchoring mantle?
Uncovered
The original transparencies of an iconic Beatles album cover had been thrown in the garbage and crushed.
Which part of the audio chain do you spend the most time auditioning before purchase?
An audiophile is practically defined by his/her thoughtful and considered approach to selecting components. Which part of the audio chain do you spend the most time auditioning before purchase?
The DRM Beat Goes On
We wrote last week about the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/021207drm/">increasingly heated debate</A> over DRM copy protection, with everybody from Steve Jobs to the RIAA weighing in on the subject. This week was just as wild and whacky on that front.
Soundkeeper Recordings Debuts
Like most <I>Stereophile</I> readers, we have grown accustomed to seeing Barry Diament's name on superb-sounding recordings, since he has mastered albums by artists from AC/DC to Warren Zevon—and every letter in between. When the magazine still had its editorial offices in Santa Fe, Diament dropped by one afternoon to say hi, so now we feel like we can brag, "Hey, we know that guy!"
Classé CA-3200 three-channel power amplifier
The last Classé power amplifier I reviewed, back in November 2004, was the imposing <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/1104classe">Omega Omicron</A> monoblock ($20,000/pair), which made glorious sound with the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/302">Revel Ultima Studio</A> speakers. But things change. First, my reference speakers are now <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1205bw">B&W 802D</A>s. Second, my system now has <I>three</I> front speakers, supplemented by two B&W 804S speakers for surround sound. While a quintet of Omicrons would undoubtedly be dandy, five such monoliths would take up so much space that I'd be wondering about their effects on the room's sound. With so many channels, it seemed time to investigate whether a multichannel amp could carry the load.
Cayin A-300B integrated amplifier
<I>"Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein."</I>—Dick Rowe, Decca Records, 1962
Listening #50
I was going through a box of old photographs, lingering over some pictures I'd taken at the Quad loudspeaker factory in Huntingdon, England, a number of years ago. It was my second trip overseas—1994 or '95—and while I remember being intrigued by the machinery and the test equipment and all, I know that the real impact of the tour was probably lost on me: I wasn't yet a Quad <I>owner</I>.