Have you bought or sold used audio equipment over the Internet?
While we're on the topic of high-end audio e-commerce, have you tried your hand at the online market in <I>used</I> audio equipment?
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Flat frequency reponse in an audio component is good, right? Well, maybe not always, explains J. Gordon Holt in <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/138/">Down With Flat!</A> JGH: "Many times in past years I have been impressed by the incredible flatness of the measured high-end response of some speakers. . . . In every such case, I have been equally amazed at how positively awful those loudspeakers <I>sounded</I>—so tipped-up at the high end that I could not enjoy listening to them."
Nashville Revival Goes Hollywood, Returns to Roots
Country music reached the peak of its popularity six years ago, when it claimed 18.7% of the recorded-music audience. Since then, it has steadily declined to its present 14.1%, according to the <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com/">Recording Industry Association of America</A>'s 1998 Consumer Profile. Reasons for the decline include the increasing crossover of country stars into pop and rock styles, a phenomenon that has broadened many artists' reach and made acts like Garth Brooks and Shania Twain household names among folks who may not previously have paid much attention to country. Crossing over, unfortunately, also dilutes the support of traditional music fans. Apart from the twang in the vocals, much current "country" music sounds amazingly like the rock and pop of 10-15 years ago.
Lucent Digital Radio Gets a Boost
It's been a busy week for Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) pioneers <A HREF="http://www.lucent.com">Lucent Digital Radio</A>. (See <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10463/">previous report</A>.) The company has announced that a new entity, <A HREF="http://www.lucent.com/ldr">Lucent Digital Radio, Inc.</A>, has been created as a result of an investment by Pequot Capital Management. The new company will be owned by Pequot Capital investors and Lucent Technologies, which will hold a majority ownership stake. Lucent says it will continue to support the new venture and provide ongoing access to research from the company's Bell Labs research and development unit.
CD Recorders, DVD Changers Hot Items for Fall
Electronics dealers may have a great autumn if they load up on dual-well CD recorders and DVD carousel changers, two of the hottest audio fashion items. Major manufacturers like <A HREF="http://www.kenwood.com/">Kenwood</A>, <A HREF="http://www.onkyo.co.jp/">Onkyo</A>, <A HREF="http://www.denon.com/">Denon,</A>, and <A HREF="http://www.harman.com/">Harman/Kardon</A> have all announced plans to deliver recorders and DVD changers by October, in time for the holiday season.
Burr-Brown Announces Development of DSD DAC chip for SACD
Last week, <A HREF="http://www.burr-brown.com">Burr-Brown Corporation</A> announced the development of the DSD1700, which the company says is its first Direct Stream Digital (DSD) audio digital-to-analog converter. According to Burr-Brown, the converter is designed for Sony's DSD technology, which is used in Super Audio CD players, professional DSD processors, and DSD mixing consoles.
Elite DV-09 DVD player (SGHT Review)
The new DV-09 is Pioneer's first DVD player in its Elite line. More than simply an upscale version of a standard Pioneer DVD player, the DV-09 was built from the ground up to be a flagship product. It's also the first DVD player I've seen to have been certified under THX's DVD-player certification program (see sidebar, "THX DVD Players").
Would you buy audio equipment over the Internet? What and why?
Dozens of new websites are popping up aimed at selling audio equipment directly to consumers. Some are even working out deals with brick-and-mortar retailers in your area to deliver services, and some high-end components are now <I>only</I> available on the Web. Does purchasing audio products over the Internet appeal to you?
Ames to Take Helm at Warner Music
Former PolyGram Music Group president Roger Ames has been named to head the <A HREF="http://www.pathfinder.com/corp/wbmusic/index.html">Warner Music Group</A>, parent company <A HREF="http://www.pathfinder.com/corp/tw">Time Warner</A> announced August 16. Warner's music division, formerly the top domestic money-earner, has been stagnant in the past few years. Still one of the top five music conglomerates, it now trails Seagram's Universal Music, Bertelsmann AG, and Sony Music in total business, but retains the #2 spot in total number of albums sold, according to the <A HREF="http://www.wsj.com/"><I>Wall Street Journal</I></A>. Warner's foreign business is far weaker.
dCS Purcell Promises Hi-Rez Playback from 16/44 CDs
Ultra-high-resolution audio formats like the Super Audio Compact Disc and DVD-Audio are just around the corner, but music lovers' CD collections will never be obsolete if companies like dCS have anything to do with it. The British electronics company, noted for its high-quality D/A converters, has introduced a 24-bit/192Hz upconverter that is claimed to elevate the performance of ordinary 16/44.1 CD to near DVD-Audio level.