Kalman Rubinson had tried to get his hands on the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/244/">Revel Performa F30 loudspeakers</A> back in January 1999, but was thwarted until later in the year, when J-10 decided to send them his way. Kal was clearly excited about these speakers, and explains in detail exactly why.
When I learned that Madrigal Audio Labs was marketing their first integrated amplifier, the Mark Levinson No.383, I felt this was a big change for the Connecticut company. Mark Levinson literally started the high-end marketing revolution back in the early 1970s by manufacturing cost-no-object separate amplifiers and preamplifiers. The purist designs had one overriding rule: employ the simplest circuit path possible. Each amplifier or preamplifier used only individual circuit-board components (no integrated circuits) and had a minimal number of controls, eschewing elaborate switches and tone controls. Mark Levinson Audio Systems and its successor, Madrigal Audio Laboratories, has continued this philosophy of separate components for the past 25 years.
<B>SONNY ROLLINS: <I>The Freelance Years</I></B><BR> Sonny Rollins, tenor sax; Clark Terry, Kenny Dorham, trumpet; Jimmy Cleveland, trombone; Ernie Henry, alto sax; Thelonious Monk, Hank Jones, Sonny Clark, Wynton Kelly, Gil Coggins, Hampton Hawes, piano; Victor Feldman, vibes; Barney Kessel, Oscar Pettiford, Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Wendell Marshall, Leroy Vinegar, bass; Max Roach, Shelly Manne, Roy Haynes, Kenny Dennis, drums; Abbey Lincoln, vocals<BR>Riverside 5RCD-4427-2 (5 CDs). 2000. Orrin Keepnews, Lester Koenig, Leonard Feather, original prods.; Eric Miller, compilation prod.; Dave Luke, tape transfers; Kirk Felton, remastering. AAD. TT: 5:58:42<BR> Performance <B>*****</B><BR> Sonics <B>*****</B>
Why would a sharp mind offer a $15,000 integrated <I>digital</I> amplifier to a reviewer who has been characterized in the audio press as the "self-proclaimed Analog Messiah" and a "hyper-Luddite"? That's the first question a self-centered reviewer asks himself. Yours might be: "A $15,000 integrated amplifier from...<I>Sharp</I>?"
Last week's Soapbox argued: Why even consider a new format until the music you like is available in abundance? This week, we're curious to know just how much of your favorite music needs to be reissued on a new format before you're inspired to buy a new player.
With new high-end audio formats hitting the shelves and MP3 and Napster dominating the online music news, developments in the world of radio have taken a back seat lately. But two announcements this week offer a peek at where the broadcast business might be headed.
The bad news for the music industry: Teenagers bought less music last year, according to a recently released survey commissioned by the <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com/">Recording Industry Association of America</A>. The good news: Middle-aged folks bought more, according to the same survey.
DVD-Audio will soon bring high-resolution multichannel sound to music lovers, but they may be dismayed by the format's several varieties and the semi-compatible hardware that will be needed to play them. That was the impression left by a lecture the last week of June at <A HREF="http://www.dolby.com/">Dolby Laboratories</A>' Presentation Studio in San Francisco.
DVD-Audio has been "almost here" for so many months that it seemed almost anticlimactic when the first players finally emerged on dealer shelves this week. Late in May of this year, <A HREF="http://www.panasonic.com">Panasonic</A> announced (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10757/">previous story</A>) that they would be releasing two players, one under the Panasonic banner and the other under the company's Technics brand, in July. It looks as if they've finally made good on their promise.
Judging from the e-mails we get, some folks wonder why <I>Stereophile</I>'s website continues to cover the advance of such lo-fi formats as MP3 as well as the problems encountered by companies like Napster as they tangle with the music business. But consider this: a new study reports that the market for digital music players will grow to $6.4 billion in 2005—more than 34 times 1999 shipments—which is also nearly 80% of the $8 billion reported for sales of <I>all</I> audio products, including portables, from last year (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10677/">previous article</A>).