News

Satellite radio continues to surge in popularity, but competitors XM and Sirius both posted losses for the third fiscal quarter, ended September 30.

From the October 2004 issue, Larry Greenhill reviews the REL">http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/1004rel">REL Studio III subwoofer, explaining, "Determined to experience sub-bass in my listening room, I arranged with REL's US importer, Sumiko Audio, to audition their largest subwoofer, the Studio III."

You hear a dismaying amount of bad sound on the Audio Engineering Society (AEShttp://www.aes.org">AES;) convention floor. Tizzy high frequencies and mushy bass are more common than not, but encouragingly, good-sounding products tend to draw small crowds or generate a buzz among attendees.

Is there a future for high-resolution recordings? Why do so many people fail to hear a difference between them and ordinary CDs? Why do some purportedly high-rez discs sound so bad? What obstacles does the audio industry face in trying to make high-rez a commercial success?

Multichannel music was addressed by several seminars at this year's AES. On Friday, the Center Channel Challenge convened with a trio of recording engineers moderated by DTS's Jeff Levison.

New York, NY—The Home Entertainment 2004 Show, scheduled to take place on November 4-7, 2004 at the Westin-St. Francis Hotel, has been cancelled due to the hotel labor issue in San Francisco.

Is the music industry in the midst of a turnaround?

Feeling grumpier about spending audio dollars this holiday season? You may not be alone according to a new survey of consumer holiday buying intentions.

From the October 2004 issue, Michael Fremer reviews the mbl">http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/1004mbl">mbl 101E Radialstrahler loudspeaker, enthusing, "In one night's listening orgy, I tore through albums by the Weavers, Harry Belafonte, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Tony Bennett, etc—all recorded live in Carnegie Hall. The results were nothing short of astonishing."

Industry observers have long debated the ultimate fate of satellite broadcaster Sirius Radio. Front-runner XM Radio, with more than two million subscribers, is already above the break-even point, but for many months Sirius struggled against technical problems and overwhelming debt. Would the fledgling survive, get devoured by its larger competitor, or worse, get picked up in a fire sale by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.?