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News
Analog Devices announces World's First 32-bit HDCD Chip
Barry Willis  |  Apr 12, 1998
Recently, Analog Devices announced the worldÆs first High Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD) decoder chip with 32-bit internal precision. The ADSP-21061 SHARC programmable digital signal processor will enable HDCD decoding to be incorporated into a wide variety of consumer audio and home-theater products, according to an AD press release dated March 26. The SHARC DSP can perform up to 150 million operations per second, and includes one megabit of onboard memory, six DMA channels, and two serial ports. The highly integrated decoder is claimed to perform HDCD decoding without external memory.
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News
Sound Advice, Inc. to Open Several New Stores in Florida
Stereophile Staff  |  Apr 12, 1998
Recently, Sound Advice, Inc., a specialty retailer of high-end consumer electronics, announced plans to open five to six stores in Florida over the next 18 months. The company expects that two to three of the stores will be in operation by the end of this calendar year, with the balance to be opened in 1999. Sound Advice is also exploring other ideas, such as smaller-format specialty stores in upscale malls and other high-end retail locations that feature high-quality brand names.
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News
Nordic Entertainment Adopts MusiCode Watermarking
Barry Willis  |  Apr 12, 1998
On April 8, Nordic Entertainment Worldwide announced that it has adopted ARIS Technologies' MusiCode audio watermarking system. The Napa, California-based company operates the Downloadable Music Site, one of the Internet's most extensive music archives. MusiCode is an attempt to discourage piracy by embedding signals in recorded music, which can later be extracted for tracking the recordingÆs origin.
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News
Carver Announces Interim Financing and New Director
Stereophile Staff  |  Apr 12, 1998
On April 7, Carver Corp. announced an agreement in principle for the sale of 3 million shares of restricted Common Stock of the company to one of its preferred shareholders, Renwick Special Situations Fund, L.P., for $375,000, or $0.125 per share.
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News
Cirrus Logic Introduces New DAC and DVD Controller ICs
Barry Willis  |  Apr 11, 1998
"Digital audio quality at analog prices." ThatÆs how Cirrus Logic's Crystal Semiconductor division introduced a chip that may bring a new level of audio performance to a much wider audience. On April 6, Crystal announced its CS4334, an 8-pin, small-outline D/A converter. The 24-bit CS4334 will support sampling rates of up to 96kHz, and is being marketed as a low-cost, high-quality solution for computer, automotive, and portable audio applications, as well as DVD systems and set-top converter boxes. Crystal claims the new chip is the industryÆs smallest delta-sigma DAC.
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Recording of the Month
Recording of April 1998: Gone, Just Like A Train
Chip Stern  |  Apr 09, 1998
BILL FRISELL: Gone, Just Like A Train
Bill Frisell, electric & acoustic guitars; Viktor Krauss, bass; Jim Keltner, drums, percussion
Nonesuch 79479-2 (CD). 1998. Lee Townsend, prod.; Judy Clapp, eng. AAD. TT: 69:58
Performance *****
Sonics *****
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News
NEC Unveils New Technology for High-Bandwidth Data Transfer
Jon Iverson  |  Apr 05, 1998
At the recent WinHEC '98, NEC Electronics Inc. made available prototype sample units of 1394-to-POF (plastic optical fiber) repeater boxes that extend transmission of video, audio, and textual data over long distances via plastic optical fiber and copper media. NEC Electronics, one of the first companies to demonstrate this technology over plastic optical fiber and copper and wireless media, is also one of the first to demonstrate transmission speeds of 200Mbits/s over plastic optical fiber.
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News
DVD Changers Introduced by Sony and Yamaha
Stereophile Staff  |  Apr 05, 1998
Not long after the single-disc CD player was introduced, the multidisc changer followed, with products from companies like Sony and Pioneer. Shortly after the changer was introduced, it became the most popular version of the new hardware format. In the past eight years, changers have consistently outsold single-disc machines. The high-end market was characteristically slow to embrace changers, but companies like California Audio Labs have been successful in this category with products like the CL-10, a five-disc carousel changer.
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News
The Abso!ute Sound Revived
Stereophile Staff  |  Apr 05, 1998
High-end journal The Abso!ute Sound, long rumored to be circling the drain, has been officially revived. According to a press release dated March 24, TAS will be operated under a new company, Absolute Multimedia, owned by Tom Martin, a vice-president at Dell Computer. Martin has reportedly arranged serious financing for the new venture, which will be based in Austin, Texas.
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Vote
Do you have a local audio shop that you like?
Stereophile  |  Apr 05, 1998

One of the keys to enjoying the tweak audio hobby is having a good place to learn about the art of sound. A good dealer can also help you make good choices for your personal needs when it's time to buy.

Do you have a local audio shop that you like?
Absolutely
53% (102 votes)
Pretty much
17% (33 votes)
They're okay
9% (17 votes)
Not really
13% (26 votes)
Absolutely . . . NOT!
8% (16 votes)
Total votes: 194
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