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Solid State Power Amp ReviewsSubwoofer ReviewsMusic in the Round
Music in the Round #24
Kalman Rubinson  |  May 27, 2007  |  0 comments
Good things come in threes, they say. Well, three-channel power amps suit me just fine. My main component rack is at the back of the room, so I split power duties between a two-channel amp under the rack to drive my rear-channel B&W 804S speakers and, way at the front, either three monoblocks or a three-channel amp for the front three B&W 802Ds. I do this to ensure that the timbre of the front three channels is consistent. The outstanding performance of the Simaudio Moon W-8 dual-mono power amp (Stereophile, March 2006) almost tempted me to go with a stereo amp and a monoblock, but voicing and balancing a multichannel system with equanimity makes me want as much simplicity as possible. I guess manufacturers and users see it the same way; many new three-channel amps are coming on the market.
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As We See It
Capturing Lightning in a Bottle: the 96/24 DVD Revolution
Wes Phillips  |  May 27, 2007  |  First Published: Jun 27, 1997  |  0 comments
In his impassioned "As We See It" in May (Vol.20 No.5, p.3), Robert Harley pleaded that the Compact Disc is actually quite a bit better than it sounds, and requested that audiophiles focus instead on the significant improvements wrought in digital sound since its inception. Bob's point—that picking on CD's shortcomings has become a ritual bloodsport within the High End—is well taken: witness my own catty swipe at it in the first sentence. The fact is that the glaring imperfections of the first generation of digital products are now mostly distant memories. Most of us do derive hours of musical pleasure from our CD players and CD collections.
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As We See It
DVD, Yes. 96kHz, No!
Robert Harley  |  May 27, 2007  |  First Published: Mar 27, 1997  |  0 comments
Just about everyone knows that a new high-quality digital audio disc, called DVD, is being developed by the world's electronics giants. What few realize, however, is how politics and corporate politics influenced the format's technical specifications. The result may be unnecessary sonic degradation for millions of music listeners.
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As We See It
DVD: The Medium is No Longer the Message
John Atkinson  |  May 27, 2007  |  First Published: Nov 27, 1996  |  0 comments
You would have thought the hardware companies who trumpeted at the January 2006 Consumer Electronics Show that their video DVD players would be in US retailers' showrooms by September 1996 would have learned an important lesson from the bungled DAT launch almost 10 years ago: Without first getting complete agreement of the software industry on substantive issues, it's foolish to announce a firm launch date for a new medium. September came and went without DVD discs or players being available in US stores. In fact, all that happened was that the bottom fell out of sales of 12" laserdiscs and laserdisc players.
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News
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Digital Adventures
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 27, 2007  |  0 comments
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has taken its first giant steps into the digital domain. Hard on the heels of launching the orchestra's new in-house CD label, CSO Resound, it has announced a partnership with digital distributor IODA that will make CSO Resound recordings available for download via iTunes, Yahoo! Music, Rhapsody, Napster, Verizon, Sprint, and other online retailers.
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Stephen Mejias
Island Sunset
Stephen Mejias  |  May 25, 2007  |  3 comments
A couple of nights ago, walking down Madison Avenue, on my way home from work, I had to stop and enjoy this view.
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Robert Baird
Toe Jam
Robert Baird  |  May 25, 2007  |  0 comments
Of the many advantages of living in NYC, Doctors has got to be one of the biggest. Many, many good, no nonsense ones to choose from, if you or your insurance can pay. Cosmic Justice. I survived HE 2007 only to fall prey to my own impatience. Instead of sliding the vegetable drawer in my refrigerator out slowly like a normal person, my tired, irritable and schmoozed out self jerked it and it jumped its track and smashed my foot. Damned apples and carrots weigh too friggin' much. After three days of denial and whistling in the graveyard about how it was gonna be fine, I finally broke down and dipped a damaged toe in the health care system. One scalpel slice later and things are looking up on the sore paw front.
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Wes Phillips
Why is This Cat Laughing?
Wes Phillips  |  May 25, 2007  |  2 comments
Huckleberry finds humans amusing.
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Wes Phillips
Those Darn Paparazzi
Wes Phillips  |  May 25, 2007  |  2 comments
Princess Bagheera gets so weary of people sticking cameras in her face.
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Wes Phillips
Weekend Edition Explained
Wes Phillips  |  May 25, 2007  |  1 comments
I haven't linked to Jon Carroll lately, so here's today's column, which lays out the format for the WE musician interview. Frustratingly true.
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