Low bass is probably the most difficult part of the audio spectrum for loudspeakers to reproduce accurately. Most speakers with "quick, tight bass" don't go very low. Conversely, most speakers that <I>do</I> go low sound muddy and undefined in the bottom octaves. A good subwoofer is the usual solution, but is deep bass really necessary for musical satisfaction?
On March 20, at the CeBIT '98 convention in Hanover, Germany, several leading manufacturers of CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) drives and media announced that the market for CD-RW products has grown much faster than originally predicted.
On March 17, <A HREF="http://www.recoton.com">Recoton Corporation</A> announced that it has licensed the <A HREF="http://www.nhthifi.com">NHT</A> brand name to Vergence Technology, Inc. NHT is a name known among audiophiles for its line of loudspeaker products for home audio. Vergence intends to utilize the NHT brand name on its new line of products designed specifically for the pro audio and professional home music markets. Planning for this marketing agreement has been in development for many months with Vergence Technology's Chris Byrne and Ken Kantor, who were also the founders of NHT.
Concluding its six-year evaluation of Digital Audio Radio (DAR) systems, the <A HREF="http://www.cema.org">Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association</A> (CEMA) filed its final report last month with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The report, "Technical Evaluations of Digital Audio Radio Systems: Laboratory and Field Test Results, System Performance, Conclusions," is available to the public from the FCC and through CEMA's <A HREF="http://www.cemacity.org/works/pubs/files/dar.htm">website</A>.
In a move sure to startle a few record retailers, English recording artists Massive Attack will make their much-anticipated new album, <i>Mezzanine</i>, available in its entirety on the Internet weeks before the May 12 in-store release date. The album will appear in stages over the course of two weeks via a <A HREF="http://www.virginrecords.com/massive_attack">special page</A> on <A HREF="http://www.virginrecords.com">Virgin Records America</A>'s web site.
You may have noticed recent news items about proposals to deregulate the electrical power industry. You may have received solicitations to sign on with some start-up utility you never heard of, promising 10% to 40% reductions in your electrical bill. The model for this deregulation---if it comes to pass---is the long-distance telephone industry.
The world used to be a simple place, where a record would sell only if it was big on the radio. These days, folks get their information about music from all over the map. Where do you get yours?
On March 12, <A HREF="http://ovonic.com.">Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.</A> announced that <A HREF="http://www.sony.com">Sony Corporation</A> has expanded its royalty-bearing license under ECD's proprietary phase-change rewritable optical-memory technology to include advanced technology for use in rewritable CD and DVD optical-memory products. Phase-change technology, invented by ECD, is used in PD and CD-RW rewritable optical-memory discs.
Remember how your Uncle Charlie used to hole up in the basement with his ham radio rig? He'd spend hours down there, tweaking his equipment and chatting in an arcane jargon with fellow hobbyists around the world.