Here's the first joke to get you started:<P>Q. How many audiophiles does it takes to change a light bulb?<P>A. One, and 33-1/3 to explain the superiority of candles. (Thanks to Bryan Stanton)<P><I>OR</I><P>A. Three: one to do it and two to discuss how the old bulb was better with this particular socket and wiring system.<BR><P><I>OR</I> (from Kal Rubinson)<P>A. One, but he has to stand on TipToes to do it.<BR>
The High End has reached a new low, one characterized by "existential angst." That's how Lawrence M. Fisher of the <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/"><I>New York Times</I></A> describes the industry's ongoing malaise. In a well-researched and well-written piece that appeared last Thursday, July 9, Fisher cites "demographic and economic issues beyond its control and technological trends that threaten its very relevance." He mentions the economic crisis in Asia---destination for a large proportion of American high-end audio products---as a major contributing factor to the stagnation in which much of the industry is mired.
Rumors began surfacing last month that McCormack Audio might be on the ropes. Long known for their value-oriented high-end products such as amps and preamps, the company had been struggling for the last couple of years (for reasons not connected with the quality of its products). But a savior has appeared that looks to put the company on a sure footing.
The audio business has been claiming its share of victims lately, with few companies able to reanimate once economic problems set in. Working hard to break this cycle, <A HREF="http://www.carver.com">Carver Corp.</A> became one of the first manufacturers to switch from a dealer-based operation to both dealers and internet sales.
E-mail spam just got a lot noisier thanks to AT&T's <A HREF="http://www.a2bmusic.com">a2b music</A> and <A HREF="http://www.bmg.com/">BMG Entertainment</A>. (See previous stories <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10198/">1</A>, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10133/">2</A>.) Last week, they announced that BMG will deliver the first "mass communication" of a2b MAIL to the consumer databases of each of its websites, <A HREF="http://www.bugjuice.com">www.bugjuice.com</A> (alternative and rock music), <A HREF="http://www.peeps.com">www.peeps.com</A> (urban music), and <A HREF="http://www.twangthis.com">www.twangthis.com</A> (country music).
The <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com/">Recording Industry of America</A>'s ongoing pursuit of music pirates bore fruit last week on Tuesday, July 7, when the organization collected $750,000 in settlements from three companies that had produced and marketed CD compilations of hit records. The RIAA also received $20,000 in restitution from Lloyd Schiffres, owner of Top Hat Productions, a disc-jockey supply house. Schiffres, who has been arrested three times, handed over 31 sets of his <I>For DJs Only</I> compilations.
June, 1998---"It's time to stop wasting the talents of brilliant American musicians because of their gender." And with that, an anonymous donor has given one million dollars to establish The National Women Conductors Initiative.
R<I>evel</I>. Interesting name for a new speaker company. The most apt definition of the word from my old dictionary is "to take much pleasure; delight." Or perhaps those who chose the name were intrigued by the wordplay they could make with "revel-ation."
"Them which is of other naturs thinks different," said <I>Martin Chuzzlewit</I>'s Mrs. Gamp. If that is true, then Naim's Julian Vereker must be of a very different nature indeed. Vereker—and, by extension, Naim—has never done things the conventional way. Take, for example, power regulation and stiffening power supplies. Long before the rest of the world was taking them seriously, Naim offered upgrades to their components not by changing the audio circuitry, but by adding stiffer and stiffer outboard power regulation.
Because I'm suspicious of just twiddling knobs to make the sound "nice," I didn't rely solely on my ears when I used the Z-Systems rdp-1 that I review elsewhere in this issue for speaker and room contouring. Instead, I used the ETF speaker/room-analysis software from <A HREF="http://www.acoustisoft.com">Acoustisoft</A> to help me manipulate the equalizer properly. This program can measure the first-arrival, on-axis speaker response, as well as the room response with its early and late reflections and its resonances.