Several companies are now opting for an online strategy and have signed exclusive and selective North and South American distribution rights with CoolAudio.com, according to a recent…
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The Internet is beginning to pose quite a dilemma for high-end audio manufacturers, especially ones with limited distribution in major markets such as the US. Do you risk alienating potential bricks-and-mortar dealers in an effort to gain widespread exposure by offering your products online? Or do you slowly build distribution through the traditional stores that for years have been high-end audio's haven?
Last week, Burr-Brown Corporation announced the development of the DSD1700, which the company says is its first Direct Stream Digital (DSD) audio digital-to-analog converter. According to Burr-Brown, the converter is designed for Sony's DSD technology, which is used in Super Audio CD players, professional DSD processors, and DSD mixing consoles.
Burr-Brown says the DSD1700 was designed using the company's high-performance audio DAC technology under technical consultation with Sony Corporation for DSD technology. The device will directly convert 1-bit, 2.8224MHz digitally sampled data (the…
Need proof that baby boomers and their attendant interests are having an effect on the frontiers of computer research? Look no further than Triumph PC Online's announcement that it has introduced The John Lennon Artificial Intelligence Project (JLAIP), the first AI-based clone of the late Beatle. The project, initially titled The Plastic Digital Karma Project, has been under development for two years.
David Maggin, founder of Triumph PC Online, says that "the JLAIP will allow anyone with a Java-supported webbrowser and access to the Web to converse online with an interactive analog of…
A recent email soliciting acquisition partners has given rise to a rumor that George Tice is leaving audio. "Far from it," said the AC power-conditioning pioneer from his Jupiter, FL office. "I want to accomplish three things: move this company to the next level; devote more of my energy to research and engineering; and spend more time with my family." These goals are going to require a well-organized team effort, he insists.
Tice Audio was the first company to build audiophile-grade AC power conditioners, back in 1985, opening up what was previously unknown territory. The Tice Power…
Because online music retailers like CDNow and Amazon.com have likely taken a bite out of record-club sales, last week Internet company America Online and direct music marketer Columbia House announced a marketing agreement for both online and offline advertising and promotions, including product bundling, direct-mail initiatives, and co-marketing and advertising campaigns. Under the multi-year agreement, Columbia House, with more than 13 million members, will promote its music, video, and DVD clubs on AOL's Shopping Channel, as well as on AOL.com, CompuServe, Digital City, and Entertainment…
Making good its intention to move heavily into the ever-expanding consumer-electronics market, Texas Instruments has announced that it will acquire chipmaker Burr-Brown Corporation for $7.6 billion in stock. Burr-Brown makes some of the most highly regarded A/D and D/A converter chips on the market, many of them used in high-end audio and home-theater products.
Expected to be completed in September, the acquisition, announced June 21, is the latest by TI in a series that includes analog power-control chipmaker Unitrode Corporation, acquired last summer, and power-chip maker Power Trends,…
The Internet offers unprecedented opportunity for manufacturers to bring their products directly to their markets, but many companies have been reluctant to embrace it for fear of upsetting their established dealer networks. This has been especially true of mid-to-high-end audio companies, who have traditionally sold their wares through specialty shops.
The current flatness of the audio business and the widespread and growing enthusiasm for all things Internet are making some of these manufacturers rethink the time-honored model of geographic distribution—or are at least inspiring them to…
HE2006 will feature concerts galore—everything from live classical music to jazz to electronica.
Friday, June 2
11am–Noon
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
Classical Guitar
Sponsored by Telarc
The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, recognized as among America's premier instrumental ensembles, is one of the most charismatic groups performing today. Popularly known as the LAGQ, these four virtuosi—John Dearman, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant, and Andrew York—bring a new energy to the concert stage with their eclectic programs and dynamic musical interplay. Their critically…
With its new Walkman music player, Sony has broken with its tradition of promoting its own proprietary formats. The NW-HD3 will let users import and export tracks in the MP3 format, a concession to the format's near-universal popularity and an admission of the failed appeal of Atrac, Sony's own music-playing software. MP3 compatibility should give the player appeal to a wider audience than a Sony-only machine.
The NW-HD3 features a 20GB hard drive and should be available in the UK by the end of the year at US$462 (£249) and throughout Europe in early 2005 at around €369, according to…
iTunes is proving every day that some music fans love to procure music through the Internet. On the other hand, audiophiles often complain about the poor sound of the "CD quality" compressed files that Apple and others offer for download at similar prices to those of their uncompressed CD counterparts.
But audiophiles can still be optimistic about downloading if they observe that, bandwidth issues aside, there is no technical reason why the audio resolution offered by online music services needs to remain low-rez. The AAC codec used by Apple, Real Audio's codecs, and Microsoft's WMA…