Mellow jazz and small-combo instrumental music is frequently the material of choice in audio stores and at hi-fi shows. But audiophiles enjoy a wide variety of music. Reader Richard Horan wonders: what's your favorite?
The practice of "Transshipping"---selling a product outside one's designated territory---is widespread in the audio industry. It's commonplace for dealers to sell not only to walk-in customers, but also over the telephone or Internet to customers in other dealers' territories, usually at discounted prices. While not problematic on a small scale, the practice favors large-volume dealers over smaller ones, and is almost always a violation of a dealer's agreement with a manufacturer.
Hundreds of manufacturers will be demonstrating state-of-the-art audio products at <A HREF="http://www.hifishow.com">HI-FI '98</A>---some of which have never before been seen by the public. We're running several announcements each week leading up to the Show to give you a taste of what to expect. Here's the fourth assortment:
Software giant <A HREF="http://www.microsoft.com">Microsoft Corporation</A> has entered the audio market with a satellite-and-subwoofer speaker system for use with personal computers. The Digital Sound System 80 made its debut at this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3), held May 28-30 in Atlanta's World Congress Center. The system was designed in conjunction with <A HREF="http://www.philips.com">Philips Electronics NV of the Netherlands</A>, one of the world's largest electronics companies.
Did they capture the sound of her violin? Did the nuance of a 9' Steinway grand piano translate onto the disc with all of its dynamic range intact? Hear for yourself when Ida Levin and Delores Stevens mark the debut of <I>Stereophile</I>'s latest recording, <I>Duet</I>, with two live performances at HI-FI '98.
On May 26, <A HREF="http://www.N2K.com"> N2K</A>'s <A HREF="http://www.JazzCentralStation.com"> JazzCentralStation </A> launched the first officially sanctioned Miles Davis StarSite, <A HREF="http://www.MilesDavis.com"> MilesDavis.com</A>. An all-star musical and multimedia tribute was held that evening at New York City's Birdland, hosted by Dr. Billy Taylor and recorded by Phil Ramone and Michael Cuscuna for a September release on N2K Encoded Music. May 26 would have been Davis' 72nd birthday.
The high-end audio business has been around for less than 40 years, with new generations signing on each year. When did you join?
In a move that establishes its leadership in the entertainment business, <A HREF="http://www.seagram.com/">Seagram Company</A> has purchased <A HREF="http://www.polygram.com">PolyGram NV</A> from <A HREF="http://www.sv.philips.com/">Philips Electronics NV</A> of Holland. The deal was valued at $10.6 billion.
In an effort to make computers more useful as audio systems, <A HREF="http://www.musicmatch.com">MusicMatch</A> and <A HREF="http://www.xingtech.com/">Xing Technology</A> recently announced MusicMatch Jukebox, a digital audio management software program for the consumer market.
This past week, <A HREF="http://www.avacademy.com/">The Academy Advancing High Performance Audio & Video</A> (AAHPAV) released its 1998 Golden Note Awards Nominations.