Paul W. Klipsch, 1904–2002
Paul Wilbur Klipsch, legendary inventor and engineer from America's "golden age of audio," died May 5. The founder of <A HREF="http://www.klipsch.com">Klipsch Audio Technologies</A> was 98.
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Otis Blackwell, 1931–2002
Otis Blackwell, the prolific songwriter who helped propel the careers of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, died Wednesday, May 9 in Nashville. The cause of death was an apparent heart attack, according to a spokesman for St. Thomas Hospital. Blackwell was 70.
Cirrus Launches Low-Cost A/D Converters
<A HREF="http://www.cirrus.com">Cirrus Logic Inc.</A> has introduced two new high-performance analog-to-digital converters. The CS5361 and CS5351 are said to deliver professional sound quality for audio/video receivers (AVRs) and DVD recorders (DVD-Rs) at mainstream consumer prices. The new chips are OEM-priced at $4.95 and $3.95 respectively, in quantities of 10,000 or more.
Added to the Archives This Week
John Atkinson heads across America's great plains toward Kansas to engineer a brand-new recording that he and Les Berkley document in <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//features/575/">A Mosaic of Music: <I>Stereophile</I>'s Clarinet Quintet CD</A>. For the new CD, JA returns again to Chad Kassem's audio Mecca, noting that "105 takes of the Mozart and 102 takes of the Brahms later, we had gotten everything down on tape in two days of intense music-making."
HE 2002 Live
<A HREF="http://www.homeentertainment-expo.com">Home Entertainment 2002</A> is set to open to the public as planned, May 31–June 2, 2002, at the Hilton New York & Towers Hotel in New York City. Show attendees will be treated to numerous free educational seminars and musical performances from a dozen popular jazz, classical, and contemporary recording artists.
McIntosh C2200 preamplifier
"It <I>took</I> long enough," as I said to Larry Fish and Roger Stockholm.
Theta Digital Citadel monoblock amplifier
As we all know, it's the sound that counts. However, good looks enhance pride of ownership, and Theta Digital's class-AB, 400W Citadel is as handsome a monoblock as these jaded eyes have laid eyes on.
Are CD Prices Too High?
This magazine's "Recording of the Month" feature has been running without a break since it first appeared in our January 1994 issue. The idea of its progenitor, then-music editor Richard Lehnert (who still copy-edits every word you see in Stereophile), was that every month we would recognize a recording that defied "Holt's First Law" by offering superb sound and wonderful music (footnote 1). I think we've succeeded at that goal. Despite the letter that Robert Baird mentions in his "Aural Robert" column this month (p.113), whose writer objected to the February issue's pick (Shelby Lynne's Love Shelby, Island ISLF 15426-2), if an audiophile's music collection consisted entirely of Stereophile Recordings of the Month, there wouldn't be a dog in the whole eclectic bunch.
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Recording of May 2002: Are You Passionate?
<B>NEIL YOUNG: <I>Are You Passionate?</I></B><BR> Reprise 48111-2 (CD). 2002. Neil Young, Booker T. Jones, Duck Dunn, Poncho Sampedro, prods.; John Hanlon, eng.; Aaron Prellwitz, Alex Osborne, asst. engs.; Tim Mulligan, mix, mastering; John Hausmann, Denny Purcell, mastering; John Nowland, A/D transfer. AAD? TT: 65:29<BR> Performance <B>****?</B><BR> Sonics <B>****</B>
Dead Man Walking: Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally
<I>People are wrong when they say the opera isn't what it used to be. It is what it used to be. That's what's wrong with it.</I>—Noël Coward