We posted an <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10415/">update</A> on Peter Belt and his activities earlier in the month, but the saga began many moons ago. If you're curious about where it all began, or just need to know more, then J. Gordon Holt's "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/110/">L'Affaire Belt</A>" is for you. Stranger than fiction? Guaranteed.
The Grateful Dead were the most enduring and most worshipped of all the rock groups who originated in the San Francisco scene of the 1960s. The Dead spawned Deadheads, a global family of loyal followers, who lived for the communal high of Dead concerts, where recording by fans was encouraged by the band and its management. Deadheads continue to share recordings of those concerts through a vast network, including several websites. Until recently, at least two of the sites had been providing MP3 transmissions at no charge.
<B>JOHN TAVENER: <I>Eternity's Sunrise</I></B><BR> With: <I>Song of the Angel</I>, <I>Petra: A Ritual Dream</I>, <I>Sappho: Lyrical Fragments</I>, <I>Funeral Canticle</I><BR> Patricia Rozario, Julia Gooding, sopranos; George Mosley, baritone; Andrew Manze, violin; Choir & Orchestra of the Academy of Ancient Music, Paul Goodwin<BR>Harmonia Mundi HMU 907231 (CD). 1998. Robina Young, prod.; Mike Hatch, eng. DDD. TT: 65:03<BR> Performance <B>****</B><BR> Sonics <B>****</B>
An audio system is not a system unless you hook it all together. How do you do it?
In an aggressive move into the used audio equipment market, New York retailer <A HREF="http://www.harveyonline.com">Harvey Electronics</A> announced last week that the company will begin to sell used audio products and special purchases of new merchandise on <A HREF="http://www.ebay.com">eBay</A>, an online auction site, beginning June 1, 1999. The company also recently announced that it will sell merchandise through other website partnerships.
There's gold in them digital music hills. This obvious reality---supported by the music industry's near-panic in the face of the phenomenal growth of MP3 in the past year---was reinforced last week, when <A HREF="http://www.sony.com/">Sony Corporation</A> and <A HREF="http://www.ibm.com/">International Business Machines</A> announced a digital music mutual-aid pact at a press conference in Los Angeles.
Step all the way back to issue number one of <I>Stereophile</I>, in which Lucius Wordburger proffers some sage advice on <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//historical/108/">How to Write an Ad</A>. Learn about The Endorsement (hint: don't use Fidel Castro), The Calculated Omission, and The Junk Product.
Last week, <A HREF="http://www.real.com">RealNetworks</A> announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held <A HREF="http://www.xing-tech.com">Xing Technology</A>, a developer and provider of MP3 software. Xing has been developing standards-based digital audio and video encoding and decoding technology since 1990, but eventually ran into trouble competing with other Internet-audio startups such as RealNetworks and Liquid Audio.
Cambridge, England's <A HREF="http://www.meridian.co.uk/">Meridian Ltd.</A> has been making digital active (or self-powered) loudspeakers since 1990. Regarded as the best among the very few companies to offer such a product, Meridian has taken the concept to a new level by introducing three DSP-series loudspeakers with 24-bit/96kHz capability: the DSP6000, DSP5500, and DSP5000---all bearing the 96/24 suffix to distinguish them from their lower-resolution predecessors. Meridian introduced two 96kHz-capable subwoofers, the DSW1500 and DSW2500, at the 1999 Consumer Electronics Show.
Next, we move up the chain to the front-end---where the music starts.