Platinum speakers have been favorably reviewed in Stereophile by both Sam Tellig and myself; they had gotten an excellent reputation for producing excellent bass performance from relatively small enclosures. Phil's plans were unclear at the time of writing, but he intends to remain in the loudspeaker business. He can be contacted by fax at (603) 437-…
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Phil Jones, the loudspeaker designer who pioneered the resurgence of metal-cone woofers with first Acoustic Energy in the UK, then Boston Acoustics' Lynnfield series, and finally his own company, Platinum Audio, is no longer with Platinum.
Nationwide electronics retailer Best Buy has reported a record $59 million in profits for the second quarter of its fiscal year. Profits were up 34% from the previous year, according to a September 15 report in the Wall Street Journal. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based chain is one of the largest outlets for consumer electronics, and is Circuit City's only serious rival.
The encouraging report was mitigated somewhat by Best Buy's statement that its profit margin would shrink during the next quarter. The company has pushed back its launch date for e-commerce to early next year. Best Buy…
In my report on Red Rose Music's HE2005 debut of the Burwen Bobcat, I complained about the lack of before and after demonstrations of the technology, as well as the difficulty of extracting information about what the product actually did. In the last week, I have received correspondence that sheds light on both cavils.
Mark Levinson writes, "I didn’t want to get into comparative listening in a show environment. Maybe it wasn’t the right decision, and am sorry you were turned off. This industry needs a solution to the PCM problem and BB really works. Maybe you’d like to stop by to do some…
John Robinson Pierce, a wide-ranging engineer, inventor, writer, and psychoacoustics researcher, died April 2 at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA. The cause of death was complications from pneumonia. Pierce was 92.
A native of Des Moines, IA, Pierce earned his BS, MS, and Ph.D from the California Institute of Technology. In 1936, the year he left Caltech, he joined Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ, an institution that harbored some of the most creative minds of the mid-twentieth century, and one that originated many of the technologies that have become ingrained in…
June, 1998---"It's time to stop wasting the talents of brilliant American musicians because of their gender." And with that, an anonymous donor has given one million dollars to establish The National Women Conductors Initiative.
"The project was motivated by our donor, who attended a classical music concert at which she saw a woman on the podium for the first time," said Judy Patrick, Executive Director of The Women's Philharmonic. "It was a transformative experience for her. It brought to her a vivid awareness of the lack of representation of women on the podium. She decided that she…
In recent years, format-driven commercial radio has pushed opera off its playlists. The few remaining classical stations concentrate on the standard symphonic repertoire with only an occasional foray into opera, to the dismay of the genre's many fans.
Internet-connected opera lovers need brood no longer, however. On October 12, London-based Operadio.com went online as what it calls "the world's first Internet portal site devoted to opera and classical music." The site features seven live streamed channels drawn from over 2000 pieces of operatic and classical music, according to a press…
All of us at Stereophile were saddened by the death of Ray Charles. The giant of music passed away Thursday, June 10 at his home in Beverly Hills, surrounded by friends and family. He was 73.
The official cause of death was liver failure, according to The Los Angeles Times. Charles had undergone successful hip replacement surgery last fall, and his liver ailment was discovered during his recovery. In April, he worked on a recording of duets with performers from a wide range of genres, and on the 30th of that month made his last public appearance at a ceremony hosted by the city of Los…
The entertainment industry's worst worry—copyright infringement—just got a lot worse. A consortium of 12 major high-technology companies has been organized to promote a rewritable DVD technology developed by the Pioneer Electronics Corporation, according to a May 9 press release from Tokyo.
Calling itself the RW Products Promotion Initiative (RWPPI), the organization intends to "formulate promotional activities for products based on the Pioneer-developed DVD-RW disc recording format." The group will also work "to promote greater understanding of DVD-RW commercialization and marketing…
When we last left them, a troubled Dorian Group had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In mid-January, the company issued a statement indicating that it would liquidate its assets and begin requesting bids for the purchase of the company in a sealed bidding process authorized by the US Bankruptcy Court, Northern New York District.
The bidding, originally to have ended on February 18, 2005 and extended to February 25, resulted in only one bid, which was not accepted by the court and "considered not responsive." In a statement dated March 29, the company says it anticipates that on…
Spotting another online niche, Hifi.com announced the debut of CustomHifi.com last week. The new site is aimed at custom installers. HiFi.com claims that CustomHifi.com is the first "comprehensive national, Internet-centric marketplace to offer custom electronic design and installation professionals access to leading audio/video products, information, and installation support."
The new venture, which HiFi.com says builds on its business-to-business initiatives, is planning to offer in-wall speakers, multi-source/multi-zone systems and amplifiers, speaker selectors, in-wall controls, and…