News

Industry Update

Wes Phillips Aug 22, 2005 First Published: Aug 22, 2005

Record Q4: Harman International Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HAR) announced record results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2005. Net sales for the quarter were $808 million, compared to $732 million during the same prior year period, an increase of 10%. Net income for the three months was $70.2 million, a 32% increase above the $53 million earned in the fourth quarter last year.

News

RIAA Follies

Wes Phillips Aug 22, 2005 First Published: Aug 22, 2005

Mom fights back: As we've previously reportedhttp://stereophile.com/news/020705riaa/">reported;, the recording industry hasn't shied away from pursuing individuals it suspects of illegal downloading from peer-to-peer networks through the RIAA's "John Doe" lawsuits, most of which have intimidated the recipients into making out-of-court settlements. This strategy has, on several occasions, made the organization look foolish—as it assuredly did when it served a deceased 83-year-old.

News

Naxos Goes Download

Jason Victor Serinus Aug 21, 2005 First Published: Aug 22, 2005

Naxos, the world's leading distributor of classical music, has just signed a worldwide digital distribution deal with the Independent Online Distribution Alliance (IODA), which will use its Digital Distribution Dashboard (D3) technology platform to distribute and manage music files from the Naxos family of distributed music labels. The deal entails distributing titles to many of Naxos' 22 Digital Service Providers, including Sony Connect, Rhapsody, iTunes, Napster, and Microsoft (which charges consumers the lowest download price of all: $4.99 for an entire Naxos CD).

News

Audiophile Podcasts

Jon Iverson Aug 21, 2005 First Published: Aug 21, 2005

Most audiophiles probably consider low-fi media such as podcasts irrelevant. But this may change when accessories manufacturer Boston">http://www.boston-audio.com">Boston Audio Design launches its new HiFi Industry Podcast Series later this fall.

News

The Rest of the Story

Wes Phillips Aug 15, 2005 First Published: Aug 15, 2005

Name change: Ultimate Acquisitions Partners, the company that operates the Colorado-based Ultimate">http://stereophile.com/news/022105industry/">Ultimate Electronics chain, has announced that it is converting all nine of its Colorado SoundTrack consumer electronics superstores to the Ultimate Electronics brand name this September. That will allow all 32 of the company's retail stores to "deliver a consistent, unified message to consumers in all of its markets and more clearly communicate its offerings and store experience," according to a press release.

News

"XMas in August"; Satellite Radio's Chart Success

Wes Phillips Aug 15, 2005 First Published: Aug 15, 2005

XMas in August: XM Satellite Radio held its annual "XMas in August" new product show in Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall on August 9. Trumpeting the XM-related products that will be available for the 2005 holiday shopping season, the satellite radio provider announced strategic relationships with Altec Lansing and Belkin Corporation, as well as newer, smaller receivers from longtime partners Audiovox and Delphi. A Samsung-sourced MP3-enabled receiver with Napster capabilities was also announced.

News

Phase Technology and Audyssey play dARTS!

Kalman Rubinson Aug 15, 2005 First Published: Aug 15, 2005

In this, its 50th year of company operations, Phase">http://www.phasetech.com/">Phase Technology announced and demonstrated a new type of loudspeaker system. The series, named dARTS for Digital Audio Reference Theater System, is obviously aimed at the custom-install, home-theater market, but the components and concepts are applicable to music reproduction in any number of channels. As described by PT's director of sales and marketing, Tony Weber, the dARTS system is (1) modular and (2) actively powered and equalized by DSP, incorporating Audyssey's">http://www.audyssey.com/">Audyssey's MultiEQ XT for digital room correction.

News

Reference Recordings Returns

Jon Iverson Aug 14, 2005 First Published: Aug 14, 2005

The last couple of years have been a bumpy ride for Reference">http://referencerecordings.com/">Reference Recordings. The company's troubles began two years ago this week when it was announcedhttp://www.stereophile.com/news/11719/index.html">announced; that it had been acquired by The Dorian Group after more than 25 years as an independent label dedicated to audiophile sonics.

News

Industry Update

Wes Phillips Aug 08, 2005 First Published: Aug 08, 2005

New cable: River">http://www.rivercable.com">River Cable has announced a new speaker cable called Flexygy 8, which employs eight conductors in a flat, flexible topology with "tremendous amounts of copper." Boasting a "unique ratio of low resistance-to-capacitance," Flexygy 8's capacitance is rated at 10pF/ft. Additionally, Flexygy 8 is touted as "an installation dream, [it goes] under carpets, along baseboards, with a super flexibility that can’t be beat in a cable with an aggregate AWG of 7."

News

Ibrahim Ferrer: 1927–2005

Wes Phillips Aug 08, 2005 First Published: Aug 08, 2005

Ibrahim Ferrer, one of the best-known practitioners of the Cuban vocal music known as son, died in Havana on August 6 of multiple organ failure. He had returned, ill, from a European tour several days previously, and then been hospitalized.