LATEST ADDITIONS

News
Quarterly Figures Down for Big Retailers; Tweeter Adds Sound Advice
Barry Willis  |  Jun 10, 2001  |  0 comments
The first fiscal quarter was a slow one for major electronics retailers. Eden Prairie, MN–based Best Buy reported a 3.1% drop in comparable-store sales, attributing the slowdown to diminished demand for personal computers. That figure is for stores open a year or longer; Best Buy's total sales for the quarter rose 25% to $3.69 billion from $2.96 billion, thanks to 11 new stores and the addition of the Musicland Group of music stores, which Best Buy acquired earlier this year. Although demand for hardware such as digital cameras, DVD players, and high-definition television sets was "brisk," the market for music CDs lagged more than 6% from last year, company officials explained.
Continue Reading »
News
Summer Begins with a Frenzy of Music-Related Lawsuits
Barry Willis  |  Jun 10, 2001  |  0 comments
Music industry attorneys may not enjoy much of a summer vacation. The season got off to a litigious start with a flurry of lawsuits by and against record labels and music-based websites.
Continue Reading »
Hi-Rez Disc Player/Transport Reviews
Toshiba SD-9200 DVD-Audio/Video player
Chip Stern  |  Jun 09, 2001  |  0 comments
From the vantage point of a devout music lover, two-channel audio is more satisfying and more inclusive than ever these days. In terms of resolution, clarity, linearity, transparency, soundstaging, frequency extension, and sheer performance value, aspiring audiophiles have never had it so good.
Continue Reading »
Recording of the Month
Recording of June 2001: Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto 2
Hyperion Knight  |  Jun 08, 2001  |  0 comments
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto 2
With: Prelude in g-sharp, Op.32 No.12; Etudes-Tableaux, Op.33 Nos. 1, 2, 9; Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op.42
Hélène Grimaud, piano; Vladimir Ashkenazy, Philharmonia Orchestra
Teldec 8573-84376-2 (CD). 2001. Friedemann Engelbrecht, prod.; Eberhard Sengpiel, Andreas Florczak, engs. DDD. TT: 70:33
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Continue Reading »
Vote
Have you ever used an integrated amplifier in one of your systems? Why and what did you think?
Stereophile Staff  |  Jun 03, 2001  |  235 comments

Separate preamplifiers and power amplifiers have long been considered standard audiophile fare, but sometimes the economy and convenience of an integrated amp can't be beat. Have you ever used one?

Have you ever used an integrated amplifier in one of your systems? Why and what did you think?
Yes, in the past
34% (132 votes)
Yes, currently
54% (208 votes)
No, but am thinking about it
4% (15 votes)
No
8% (32 votes)
Total votes: 387
Continue Reading »
News
AIX Announces Multi-perspective DVD-A Discs
Barry Willis  |  Jun 03, 2001  |  0 comments
One of the more interesting displays at Home Entertainment 2001 was a small booth belonging to West Hollywood, CA–based AIX Media Group, which was manned by company president Mark Waldrep. At the show, Waldrep discussed his work in creating DVD-Audio recordings with multiple perspectives, selectable by the listener via remote control.
Continue Reading »
News
It's An Internet Jungle Out There
Jon Iverson  |  Jun 03, 2001  |  0 comments
According to a new comparison of online music business models and companies prepared by Red Herring Research, Napster simply cannot exist without the complete consent of the recording industry, and the company's recent attempts to appease the copyright infringement concerns of the industry have so far failed. The study also finds it highly unlikely that the company's peer-to-peer model will find success, given the history of its relationship with the recording industry, its declining membership, and impending competition from services like MusicNet and Duet.
Continue Reading »
News
RIAA in Two-Front War Against Aimster, Songwriters
Barry Willis  |  Jun 03, 2001  |  0 comments
In 1984, George Orwell's chilling tale of life in a totalitarian society, good citizens are expected to master the art of "doublethink," the ability to embrace two contradictory ideas at the same time. As evidenced by legal actions undertaken by their organization in late May, executives of the Recording Industry Association of America would make excellent role models in an Orwellian state.
Continue Reading »
News
Added to the Archives This Week
Stereophile Staff  |  Jun 03, 2001  |  0 comments
As John Atkinson points out in his "As We See It" from last month, Trumpets to the Back of Me?, there appears to be a long, hard road ahead for audiophiles as record labels struggle to make something out of the multi-channel future. As JA puts it, "The last thing I want is to have trumpets and drums attacking me from behind, yet almost without exception, that is what record producers seem to feel is an essential part of the DVD-Audio and SACD experiences."
Continue Reading »
News
PC Audio Gets Another Boost
Jon Iverson  |  Jun 03, 2001  |  0 comments
Some long-time Stereophile readers were outraged when the magazine put a photo of a computer soundcard on its cover in September of 2000 (click here for the review and controversy). And then, John Atkinson added insult to injury by doing another soundcard review last November. Some readers may have been scratching their heads about why we did it, but at least one manufacturer is getting the message.
Continue Reading »

Pages

X