SME 10 turntable
What do you want from a 21st-century record-playing device? I hear you: you want one that's compact, well-made, easy to set up, <I>holds</I> its setup, sounds great, and doesn't cost a lot.
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Vienna Acoustics Mahler loudspeaker
How can you tell an audiophile from a normal person? Well, given a list of names like "Haydn, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Mahler," the normal person might respond, "Composers." The audiophile's response is likely to be "Loudspeakers from Vienna Acoustics." Anyway, that's <I>my</I> association when I see these names, which may tell you something about my state of normalcy.
What do you wear to demo audio equipment?
We know from reading the press reports that folks who shop on the Internet are wearing their bathrobes
The (Really) Ultimate Audio System?
For lifelike audio presentation in your living room, what could be better than the real thing? When it comes to putting the sound of a piano in your home, nothing comes close to, well, a real piano. For more than a century, several companies have marketed player pianos, first using rolls of punched paper, and most recently sophisticated MIDI programs. But if a real piano represents the ultimate audio performance in your living room, who has the ultimate real piano?
CDnow Comes Up Short as E-tailing Loses Luster with Investors
Last year, Internet commerce schemes were the darlings of venture capitalists and small investors alike. For months, it seemed that almost any business plan, no matter how half-baked, could attract millions of dollars with the simple mention of "online retail sales"—otherwise known as "e-commerce" or "e-tailing."
IBM and Liquid Audio Cross-Fertilize
The struggle for position in the Internet-based audio downloading market continues unabated. On the format front, Sony has <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10716/">recently announced</A> several deals to bring its ATRAC compressed-audio format to the Web, while <A HREF="http://www.ibm.com">IBM</A> and <A HREF="http://www.liquidaudio.com">Liquid Audio</A> announced last week that they have entered into a strategic relationship intended to "advance the digital music marketplace" with content-management tools.
BMG to make Top Hits Available Online
The age of downloadable digital music is showing signs of maturing. Territory that was explored by hobbyists, pirates, and startup companies eager to stake their claims will soon yield to the irresistible force of multinational conglomerates.
Added to the Archives This Week
Jonathan Scull has seen the future of audiophile proselytizing and aches to spread the word. In <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//finetunes/217/">"Fine Tunes" #18</A>, J-10 shares the new tweak-audio mantra, and more.
Recording of April 2000: Both Sides Now
<B>JONI MITCHELL: <I>Both Sides Now</I></B><BR> Joni Mitchell, vocals; Wayne Shorter, soprano & tenor sax; Mark Isham, trumpet; Herbie Hancock, piano; Chuck Berghofer, bass; Peter Erskine, drums; Vince Mendoza, arr., cond.<BR>Reprise 47620-2 (HDCD). 2000. Larry Klein, Joni Mitchell, prods.; Geoff Foster, Ben Georgiades, engs. ADD? TT: 51:35<BR> Performance <B>****?</B><BR> Sonics <B>****?</B>
Have you converted your two-channel system to surround sound?
With multichannel DVD-Audio and SACD promised and the increasing pressure to add high-quality 5.1 audio to video systems, has the number of channels in your listening room increased?