Flat-screen TVs were clearly the winners at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES), but bubbling under the surface at the trade show were signs that creating home networks using media servers to manage both audio and video content libraries will also soon hit the big time.
During the recent, successful Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the <A HREF="http://www.CE.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA) predicted that manufacturer-to-dealer sales of consumer electronics products will total a record $101 billion in 2004—a 5% increase over 2003.
We all had to start somewhere, reader Mark Gdovin observes. He'd like to know what your very first audio components were.
<B>SHOSTAKOVICH: 24 Preludes & Fugues, Op.87</B><BR>
</I>Keith Jarrett, piano<BR>
ECM New Series 1469/70 (437 189-2, 2 CDs only). Peter Laenger, eng.; Manfred Eicher, prod. DDD. TT: 2:15:21
Like most people, I'm not interested in long, windy essays about audio reviewing, having barely enough time and interest for audio itself. But I do perk up when the debate turns to the audio reviewer's purpose in life: Should I write about everything that crosses my path, or should I limit my attention to those products that interest me, and that stand a chance of being good?
Like most people, I'm not interested in long, windy essays about audio reviewing, having barely enough time and interest for audio itself. But I do perk up when the debate turns to the audio reviewer's purpose in life: Should I write about everything that crosses my path, or should I limit my attention to those products that interest me, and that stand a chance of being good?
Like most people, I'm not interested in long, windy essays about audio reviewing, having barely enough time and interest for audio itself. But I do perk up when the debate turns to the audio reviewer's purpose in life: Should I write about everything that crosses my path, or should I limit my attention to those products that interest me, and that stand a chance of being good?
<IMG SRC="/images/newsart/011904schram.jpg" WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=266 HSPACE=6 VSPACE=4 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Parasound wins design award: Only a week after receiving a <I>Stereophile</I> 2003 "Product of the Year" award at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for its excellent Halo JC-1 monoblock power amplifier—Richard Schram is shown accepting the award (right)—Parasound Products won a 2003 "Good Design Award" from the <A HREF="http://www.chi-athenaeum.org">Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design</A>. The company's Halo C1 preamp/surround sound processor emerged on top in the museum's annual design competition, "one of the oldest and most important such events in the world," according to a January 16 announcement from Parasound. The C1 and other winners will be on exhibit in the museum from April 3–June 13, 2004. Opening day of the exhibit will be populated with dignitaries, design professionals, and representatives of the press.
Manufacturers sometimes suspect that they have been intentionally slighted if they don't get mentioned in a <I>Stereophile</I> show report. The truth is that the overwhelming enormity of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) prevents even the most aggressive journalists from seeing everything. (<I>SGHT</I> editor Tom Norton may be the sole exception.)
Like it or not, audiophiles may find that it will be the computer industry, not the traditional consumer electronics manufacturers, that creates a successful platform for high resolution audio. As we <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/010904ces/">reported last week</A> from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Microsoft's latest Windows Media Audio (WMA) codec contains provisions for up to eight channels of 96kHz/24-bit lossy or lossless PCM audio—and Apple OSX fans have had an operating system that supports 96/24 for some time.