Selling the Benefits
"Ever wondered how the snowplow driver gets to work?"—Doyle Dane Bernbach TV ad for Volkswagen, 1963
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VAC Renaissance Signature Mk.II preamplifier
I had a wonderful audio moment the other night. It was late in the evening, after a long day. I was standing in the middle of my makeshift listening room—Trish's dining room—and in spite of the fact that we were moving in just a few weeks, I'd just unpacked and set up my combo of <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//analogsourcereviews/498/">VPI TNT Mk.V-HR</A> turntable and tonearm with Grado Statement cartridge and dug a box of LPs out of the stacks in the garage. I cued up Dave Brubeck's <I>Time Out</I> (Columbia/Classic CS 8192), and the first notes of "Blue Rondo à la Turk" froze me in my tracks.
How important is a manufacturer's website when researching/buying a product? Why?
Audio product information is available in many forms, from glossy brochures or ads to dealers' informed sales pitches. Where does a manufacturer's website fit into the picture?
Music Industry's Legal Ramble
<I>The Monsters are Due on Maple Street:</I> In the 1960 <I>Twilight Zone</I> episode with this title, inexplicable power outages and celestial lights cause the citizens of an idyllic American town to accuse one other of being aliens. Fear feeds suspicion, hysteria turns to mayhem, and soon lynch mobs roam the streets and former friends are burning down each other's homes.
TI's High-Rez FireWire Device
<A HREF="http://www.ti.com">Texas Instruments</A> has released a new chip that advances the performance of high-resolution digital audio while limiting consumers' ability to enjoy it.
Three Go Universal
For quite a while now, Pioneer and Marantz have stuck their necks out with the few universal SACD/DVD-A/DVD/CD players available. Not any longer, as <A HREF="http://www.onkyousa.com">Onkyo</A>, Teac and Yamaha join the club with new machines, aimed at consumers hedging their bets as to who will win the high-rez format wars.
Added to the Archives This Week
Everybody's favorite writer (according to the latest <I>Stereophile</I> poll), Sam Tellig, reviews the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/673/">Conrad-Johnson MV60</A> power amplifier and explains "hanging beef." "For $2795, I loved the Conrad-Johnson MV60," says Tellig.
Hi-Rez Blaster
Following <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11396/">Apple Computer's lead</A> in bringing high-resolution audio to the computing environment, <A HREF="http://www.soundblaster.com">Creative Technology</A> announced last week several audio products intended to facilitate DVD-Audio playback via personal computer. The company is also offering suggestions for making a PC quiet enough for use in a dedictated listening system.
What is your favorite section in Stereophile? Why?
It's been apparent for years that many of <I>Stereophile</I>'s readers have a favorite section or writer. What is yours and why?
Against the Dying of the Light, a new CD from Cantus
The combination of accessible world music and transparent sound featured on <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//features/465/"><I>Let Your Voice Be Heard</I></A>, the CD released in 2001 by male-voice choir Cantus, made it an audiophile favorite. <I>Stereophile</I> editor John Atkinson returned to Minnesota earlier this year to record Cantus for a second time. This time, however, the program was very different: an ambitious sequence of choral works illustrating a musical and poetic progression from grief and sorrow to consolation and joy, following the tragic events of September 2001.