What percentage of your annual income do you spend each year on audio equipment (not including music)?
Reader Chuck Jones wonders to what extent financial means affect readers' audio equipment purchases.
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Musicians Win Web Royalties
Thanks to an agreement reached in October, musicians, rather than their record labels, will receive royalty payments for the use of recordings distributed over the Internet or broadcast over cable and satellite systems. Royalty collection agency <A HREF="http://www.soundexchange.com">SoundExchange</A> will distribute payments directly to performers, regardless of their contracts with the record companies, according to a statement issued the second week of November.
Building Better Bits
<A HREF="http://www.ti.com">Texas Instruments</A> says it is on a quest to provide "high-performance audio solutions" for the home entertainment market. To prove it, last week the company announced its first stereo analog-to-digital converters supporting the Direct Stream Digital (DSD) specification and the Super Audio CD format (SACD).
Added to the Archives This Week
For his review of the diminutive <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/445/">Acarian Systems Alón Petite</A> loudspeaker, Wes Phillips explains that the "li'l guys frequently image like bandits—which some of us just can't resist." Also included is Robert J. Reina's followup review of Alón's matching PW-1 woofer system, from February 1997, along with <I>his</I> take on the Alón Petite.
The Hard-Disk Shuffle
When it comes to digital music players and the future of computer-based entertainment, the computer industry appears to be going in two directions at once. Apple Computer has recently made a strong move into the portable music arena with its $399 iPod, a player that can store as many as 1000 songs. The company is also rumored to be developing software and computer-based editing equipment for the pro-audio industry.
Klipsch Breaks New Ground
The economic outlook may be gloomy, but there are bright spots here and there. One is Indianapolis-based <A HREF="http://www.klipsch.com">Klipsch Audio Technologies</A>, which, on November 5, announced a bold expansion program that will add more than 200 people to its workforce.
And In This Corner . . .
Neither <A HREF="http://www.verance.com">Verance</A> nor <A HREF="http://www.digimarc.com">Digimarc</A> have made friends in the consumer world, as they continue to develop and implement watermarking technologies used to restrict the use of digital media, such as DVD-Audio and CD discs. Audiophiles, in particular, are resisting any form of restriction technology, such as watermarking, that alters the digital data on a disc at the expense of audio fidelity.
Recording of November 2001: "Love and Theft"
<B>BOB DYLAN: <I>"Love and Theft"</I></B><BR> Columbia (85975) (CD). 2001. Jack Frost, prod.; Chris Shaw, engs. Jeremy Welch, asst. eng. AAD? TT: 57:35<BR> Performance <B>****1/2</B><BR> Sonics <B>****</B>
What percentage of the music-buying public is audiophile?
Many respondents to last week's vote point out that audiophiles are such a small minority that our opinions don't really matter and probably won't drive the market towards high-resolution audio. So, how many audiophiles to you think are actually out there?
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From the March 2001 issue, Michael Fremer finds that, although homely in appearance, the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/441/">Herron Audio M150 monoblock power amplifier</A> has several endearing qualities. As Fremer explains, "Herron approaches the marketplace in a cautious, stealthy manner, working from the ground up to grab the ears of audiophiles." MF tells us where this amp grabbed <I>him</I>.