Anyone who has experimented with wireless local area networks for audio—feeding rear/side speakers in a multichannel system, for example—can attest that the technology is far from ready for prime time. Prone to noise, interference, and dropouts, wireless audio systems require a tremendous amount of refinement before they'll meet audiophile standards.
Forget about the music for a second, and let's concentrate on the art of reproduction. What is the best <I>sounding</I> disc you've heard so far this year?
<I>Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.—</I>Henri-Frédéric Amiel
The internal battle between the head and the heart, between the analytical and romantic sides of our nature, is a difficult one. I'm an engineer, so it seems as if my cold, calculating side should have the upper hand. This is true in a lot of cases; most of my actions and decisions are based on straightforward, logical analyses. However, things like a house full of castaway dogs, or a garage full of quixotic British cars and Italian motorcycles, suggest that my heart holds sway reasonably—perhaps distressingly—often.
To compartmentalize or not to compartmentalize, that is the question. Does one review an expensive CD player at the dawn of the 24-bit/96kHz digital age by pulling a "Clinton," standing defiantly before a jury of audio peers to deliver a speech on the state of the CD art, boxing in, roping off, and all but ignoring the new, supposedly unimpeachable medium?
John Atkinson flapped his bushy eyebrows at me and smiled slyly. "Hey, J-10, why don't <I>you</I> do the Sony SCD-C333ES SACD carousel player for April?" Usually, when JA gets that look on his face, I seek shelter. The phone bripped suddenly in my office, but I knew it was too late. "Oooo-<I>kay</I>..." I smiled back, thinking of <I>Stereophile</I>'s recent covers and the hubbub, bub, thick as it comes, that they'd produced. (See "Letters" in the February and March issues.)
Satellite radio goes high-end: Beginning early next year, <A HREF="http://www.krellonline.com/">Krell Industries</A> will enter the booming market for satellite radio receivers with an XM Radio tuner. The $4000 unit will reportedly also receive traditional AM and FM broadcasts; an optional module will let it stream Internet audio via 802.11g wireless connection to a broadband modem, according to the September 27 edition of <I>This Week in Consumer Electronics</I> (<A HREF="http://www.twice.com">TWICE</A>). The tuner will join Krell's line of custom installation products. In a similar but less expensive vein will be new Sirius tuners from <A HREF="http://www.russound.com/">Russound</A>. At $699 and $999, the two new models will also include AM/FM tuners.
There's a certain commercial symbiosis between audio companies and public performance spaces. Tokyo has its <A HREF="http://www.yamaha-hall.co.jp/">Yamaha Hall</A>; New York has its Avery Fisher Hall (<A HREF="http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/abram/abram.html">1</A>, <A HREF="http://www.lincolncenter.org/visitor/halldescriptions_afh.asp?ws=">2</A…;), named for the hi-fi pioneer whose products were among the best available in the early 1960s.
Jack English noted in March 1994, "I lobbied ProAc designer Stuart Tyler tirelessly to take a crack at a truly full-range speaker which would preserve the strengths of the Response lineup. My wish came true in mid-1993, with the release of the monstrous <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/394proac">ProAc Response 4 loudspeaker</A>."
Last week we reported Dolby's <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/092704mlp/">announcement</A> that varying versions of their audio technologies have been selected as "mandatory formats" for <A HREF="http://www.dvdforum.org">HD DVD</A> and <A HREF="http://www.blu-raydisc.com">Blu-ray</A>. Significant for audiophiles is that MLP and high-resolution PCM audio will be available both as two-channel and surround formats on HD DVD.