How important is the visual design of an audio product to you?
Some audio companies, such as Bang & Olufsen, concentrate just as many resources into their products' appearance as into their sound. Does this matter to you?
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New Rio Player to Debut; Diamond Multimedia Acquired by S3, Inc.
The high-end audio industry may be in a slump, but the public's appetite for recorded music appears as voracious as ever. MP3, the hottest upstart in the digital audio market, got a big boost in late June when <A HREF="http://www.diamondmm.com/">Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc.</A> announced the next generation of its popular Rio digital music player, the Rio PMP 500, due to arrive in stores this fall.
Musicland Stores Take Retailing Online
Wednesday, June 23, was an auspicious day for <A HREF="http://www.musicland.com/">Musicland Stores Corporation</A>. That day the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based music and video retailer took its sales online. Four websites, each mirroring one of Musicland's four divisions, went live simultaneously with a promotional contest offering customers the chance to win daily and weekly prizes and a $10,000 grand prize---including a Sony home entertainment system. Participants can also win a trip for two to the <A HREF="http://www.wwf.com/">World Wrestling Federation</A> Summer Slam in Minneapolis on August 22.
Added to the Archives This Week
Are audiophiles and recording engineers natural adversaries? From the many slings and arrows hurled back and forth between the camps, it would certainly seem so. Robert Harley asks, "But <I>are</I> recording engineers less concerned about sound quality than are audiophiles? If so, why? Isn't someone who has devoted his life to recording music more caring than the hobbyist audiophile? If not, why not?" Read his analysis of the issues in "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/119/">A Clash of Values?</A>" Also included is a lively volley of readers' letters.
Several Audio Manufacturers Join the Online Retailing Stampede
The Internet is beginning to pose quite a dilemma for high-end audio manufacturers, especially ones with limited distribution in major markets such as the US. Do you risk alienating potential bricks-and-mortar dealers in an effort to gain widespread exposure by offering your products online? Or do you slowly build distribution through the traditional stores that for years have been high-end audio's haven?
NARM Releases Annual Survey Results for 1998
The <A HREF="http://www.narm.com">National Association of Recording Merchandisers</A> (NARM) has released its Annual Survey Results for the 1998 business year, indicating that gross dollar volume for all music products grew by 10%, to $9.69 billion, with the CD market (83.3%, or $8.1 billion) continuing to build on its dominance. The report reveals that DVD sales "literally exploded in 1998," up a staggering 400% to $259 million.
Record Collecting Resources---Online Treasure Trove for Vinylholics
Collectors will go to to any lengths to track down the objects of their obsession. Record collectors, a particularly extreme species, are known for their incredible attention to detail and their astounding capacity for absorbing vast quantities of minutiae.
How much do you rely on others for audio advice? Please tell us who you listen to.
Audio experts can come in all shapes and sizes: a great dealer, an audiophile friend or relative, an audio consultant---even a magazine writer. How much do you value their opinions?
Satellite-to-Car Radio Deals Announced
Earlier this month, <A HREF="http://www.directv.com">DirecTV</A> announced that it is investing $50 million in <A HREF="http://www.xmradio.com">XM Satellite Radio</A> in an effort to capitalize on direct satellite-to-receiver broadcasting technology, which is intended to provide listeners in the car and at home with up to 100 channels of music, news, and entertainment available in North America. Additional XM investors include General Motors, Clear Channel Communications, and a private investment group.
Silverline Audio Hits Musical Mark
Almost every audiophile, whether hobbyist or professional, has taken a stab at building loudspeakers. Combine the fundamentals of cabinetmaking with some basic electronic theory, connect a few good drivers to a well-designed crossover network, and you're on your way to pretty good sound. And now, with widely available resources like crossover design software and high-quality prefabricated cabinets, the task is easier than it's ever been.