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News
365 Days and Over 300 Audio News Items Later . . .
Jon Iverson  |  Nov 29, 1998  |  0 comments
Over three quarters of a million readers served! With several million "page views" and dozens of millions of "hits" in the past 365 days, the Stereophile website has continued to grow steadily, with a record number of folks visiting practically every week. We've also dished out over 300 news articles---practically an article each day---covering everything audio, from important new-technology announcements to the demise and then rebirth of several legendary brands.
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News
MiniDisc Makes Headway
Barry Willis  |  Nov 28, 1998  |  0 comments
Four years after its first unsuccessful foray into the American consumer marketplace, Sony's MiniDisc appears finally to be winning serious numbers of converts. Several large-scale retailers, including Best Buy, Circuit City, Service Merchandise, and (soon) Sears department stores, have dedicated MiniDisc displays, with home recorders, portable players, and blank discs available individually or as a package deal. The displays were built with Sony's support, according to Mike Viken, senior VP for Sony's personal audio/video marketing division.
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Fine Tunes
Fine Tunes #5
Jonathan Scull  |  Nov 25, 1998  |  0 comments
I've touched on loudspeaker placement in irregularly shaped rooms several times in the last few "Fine Tunes," but reader Peter Machare (Peter.MACHARE@usda.gov) wants more information about setting up L-shaped and other nonstandard listening areas. Here's how he describes his layout: "I have an L-shaped room. The speakers are at the bottom of the L and point up the long part of the L. Not all of us are perfect rectangles, you know."
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Vote
Do you prefer a "one-box" CD player, or separate transport and D/A converter boxes? Why?
Dan Landen  |  Nov 22, 1998  |  0 comments

CD players started life as single boxes, but audiophiles soon broke them down into separate transports and D/A converters. Jitter-reduction devices were soon added, but now some manufacturers are going back to a single-box approach. Which do you prefer?

Do you prefer a "one-box" CD player, or separate transport and D/A converter boxes? Why?
One box is best
58% (151 votes)
Separate transport and converter
14% (37 votes)
Separate transport and converter with jitter reduction
17% (43 votes)
Still deciding
11% (28 votes)
Total votes: 259
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News
PS Audio Reborn
Jon Iverson  |  Nov 22, 1998  |  0 comments
We'd been playing phone tag for a couple of weeks, but Paul McGowan was finally tethered to a handset as he explained to me a product from his "new" company, the reincarnation of PS Audio. "Everything you've ever wanted in a power conditioner---times 10---with none of the drawbacks!" McGowan could hardly contain himself while pitching his latest brainstorm. He certainly had an intriguing idea, but the path from founder of PS Audio back in the late '70s to Genesis Technologies and back again was nearly as interesting.
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News
Mordaunt-Short, Epos, Rogers to close UK manufacturing.
Paul Messenger  |  Nov 22, 1998  |  0 comments
It had to happen eventually. Britain's internationally successful loudspeaker manufacturers tend to be highly geared exporters, with overseas markets often accounting for 80-90% of sales. The dramatic downturn in sales across virtually all Asian markets, alongside the collapse of the Russian ruble and an ever-strengthening pound sterling, has been making life very tough indeed.
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News
1998 Products of the Year Announced
John Atkinson  |  Nov 22, 1998  |  0 comments
For the seventh consecutive year, Stereophile has named a select few audio components the "Products of the Year." In doing so, we recognize those components that have proved capable of giving musical pleasure beyond the formal review period.
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News
Stones Announce Arena Tour; Tickets Go on Sale
Stereophile Staff  |  Nov 21, 1998  |  0 comments
Is stadium rock passé? The Rolling Stones, the world's greatest practitioners of large-venue concerts, have announced a tour of smaller arenas beginning January 25. The "No Security" tour---in support of the recently released Virgin Records album of the same name---will take the band through 25 North American cities.
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Vote
Have you, or do you plan to, replace your CD player with a DVD machine?
Stereophile  |  Nov 15, 1998  |  0 comments

DVD players are backward-compatible with CDs, offering consumers the ability to replace their CD players with DVD decks. Some record companies have released DVD-Videos carrying 24/96 high-resolution audio to take advantage of the new format, and DVD-Audio should be just around the corner.

Have you, or do you plan to, replace your CD player with a DVD machine?
Have already replaced CD player with DVD
16% (50 votes)
Will replace CD with DVD soon
10% (32 votes)
Will wait a while
15% (48 votes)
Will wait for DVD-Audio to arrive
37% (115 votes)
Not interested in a DVD player right now
22% (68 votes)
Total votes: 313
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News
Consumer Reports Online Gives Cybertour of its Testing Labs
Stereophile Staff  |  Nov 15, 1998  |  0 comments
Long the bane of finicky audiophiles, Consumer Reports magazine has been measuring just about anything sold in a store since 1936 in an effort to "test products, inform the public, and protect consumers." But when they get around to testing audio gear, the magazine's "lab" has become the target of many audio enthusiasts who don't share CR's views on how to tell good sound from bad. In fact, part of the problem is that CR often reports that sound quality is not always the final factor in rating a product, with concerns about reliablity, ease of use, and fit and finish often skewing results.
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