Every <A HREF="http://www.cesweb.org">Consumer Electronics Show</A> features unusual prototypes from engineers throughout the world. Some are laboratory curiosities that never develop into viable products, but others have great potential.
For any audio company to be successful, it needs to cover what my business school teachers used to call the "Four Ps": Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. In other words, success will follow if a company can slice up its resources to properly promote the right product at the right price and make it available in the right places.
<B>HANK WILLIAMS: <I>Timeless</I></B><BR> Lost Highway 088 170 239-2 (CD). 2001. Luke Lewis, Mary Martin, Bonnie Garner, prods.; Bob Brockman, Michael Hopkins, Mark Johnson, others, engs.; Hank Williams (no relation), mastering. AAD. TT: 43:19<BR> Performance <B>****</B><BR> Sonics <B>*****</B>
<FONT FACE="Helvetica, Arial" SIZE=2><B>WAGNER: <I>The Ring of the Nibelung</I></B><BR><FONT SIZE="2">
Norman Bailey, Wotan, Wanderer; Derek Hammond-Stroud, Alberich; Alberto Remedios, Siegmund, Siegfried; Rita Hunter, Brünnhilde; Margaret Curphey, Sieglinde, Gutrune; Gregory Dempsey, Mime; Aage Haugland, Hagen; Norman Welsby, Gunther; Emile Belcourt, Loge; Clifford Grant, Fafner, Hunding; Katherine Pring, Fricka I, Waltraute II; Ann Howard, Fricka II; Anne Collins, Erda, First Norn; Valerie Masterson, Woglinde; Shelagh Squires, Wellgunde; Helen Attfield, Flosshilde; Gillian Knight, Second Norn; Anne Evans, Third Norn; Maurine London, Woodbird; others; Sadler's Wells (<I>Siegfried</I>) and English National Opera Orchestra & Chorus, Reginald Goodall<BR>
Chandos CHAN 3065 (16 CDs). 1974–78/2001. John Mordler, Ronald Kinloch Anderson, prods.; Robert Gooch, Stuart Eltham, engs. ADD. TT: 16:53:30<BR>
Performance <B>****</B><BR>
Sonics <B>***½</B>
The Boulder 1012's is a line-level preamplifier <I>and</I> DAC in one box. Its design and build qualities are icons to elegant engineering know-how. No screws show on the rectangular box of large but not massive proportions, for example, which is all done up in matte aluminum and set off with a few highly polished stainless-steel buttons. The chassis construction uses tongue-and-groove techniques. The sides of the 1012 benefit from styling cues found on Boulder's newer amplifiers. As you can see from the photograph, the look is both elegant and hi-tech in a way very few other manufacturers manage.
Reader I.M. Outthere wants to tap into the audiophile mind to see what visions are dancing in your heads. Does anything in particular top your holiday audio wish list?
<A HREF="http://www.dolby.com">Dolby Laboratories</A> was demonstrating its new <A HREF="http://www.aac-audio.com">Advanced Audio Coding</A> (AAC) consumer encoder, which the company says complements its professional AAC encoder, at this year's New York AES Convention. Dolby says it will license the encoder to enable "high-quality AAC encoding" for CD-rippers, hard disk–based jukebox products, Internet-based music distribution systems, portable players, and other digital audio products aimed at the consumer market.
Sam Tellig loves 'em and consistently sings their high-quality/low-buck praises as a cheapskate favorite ($6.99 per CD!). And now, classical music label <A HREF="http://www.naxos.com">Naxos of America</A> is blazing new paths with its announcement last week that it and <A HREF="http://www.liquidaudio.com">Liquid Audio</A> have inked an agreement to digitally distribute downloads of selected Naxos recordings to leading retail and music web sites in the Liquid Music Network.