Next we offer John Atkinson's review of the Wadia 27ix and Wadia 270 transport. JA writes: "History teaches us that the full flowering of any social phenomenon takes place after the seeds of its destruction have been sown. . . . Similarly, it is only now, when DVD-Video has been with us for a couple of years and is being used as a…
search
Jonathan Scull writes: "Cable dressing is actually a rather delicate issue that requires a certain leap of faith. The concept is so simple that even I can explain the science to you." And explain he does. Read "Fine Tunes #7" to learn the whole story.
Pay $350,000 for an amplifier?!?!! Michael Fremer takes a deep breath and plugs in the Wavac SH-833 monoblock power amplifier in order to hear for himself what he might get if he traded in his house. "When tmh's Jim Ricketts asked me if I wanted to review this eight-box assemblage," says MF, "the first thing I did was laugh at the ludicrousness of the situation. Then I said, 'Why the hell not?'"
Next, we have John Atkinson's "As We See It" from the July 2004 issue, Absolute Values. JA struggles with the decision to run the $350k Wavac review: "What possibly needs to be said about an…
Guitarist John Fahey died February 22 at Salem Hospital in Salem, OR, two days after undergoing multiple coronary bypass surgery. The enigmatic musician had been suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome and diabetes for years. Fahey was 61.
Born February 28, 1939 in Takoma Park, MD, Fahey was the son of musician parents. His earliest exposure was to the country music of performers like bluegrass legend Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers. Fahey's lifelong affair with the guitar began in earnest at the age of 13, when he met singer and guitarist Frank Hovington during a fishing trip.…
After a difficult gestation, DVD-Audio may finally be moving toward becoming a market reality now that a major record label has stepped forward to support it. Warner Music Group (WMG) has issued several recordings in the new format, covering a range of genres. DVD-A is "the most significant industry format launch since the introduction of the CD nearly 20 years ago," according to an October 2 WMG press release.
Warner's first DVD-A releases are:
Beethoven: Symphonies 4 & 5, Daniel Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin
Core, Stone Temple Pilots
Tigerlily, Natalie Merchant
Johann…
Is the world ready for another portable music format? DataPlay Incorporated thinks so. On March 12, the Boulder, CO–based company announced an agreement with Bertelsmann Music Group to release new titles later this year on miniature pre-recorded discs, which are about the size of a quarter.
DataPlay has also signed content deals with EMI and Universal Music. Record labels are said to be eager to test the waters with DataPlay because the format does not allow for easy copying. The arrangements with the labels will let consumers buy music ready to go, as well as let them download songs…
Last week we reported Dolby's announcement that varying versions of their audio technologies have been selected as "mandatory formats" for HD DVD and Blu-ray. Significant for audiophiles is that MLP and high-resolution PCM audio will be available both as two-channel and surround formats on HD DVD.
Not to be outdone by its rival, DTS has now announced that its DTS Coherent Acoustics coding system has been selected as "mandatory audio technology" for both the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD.
DTS notes that in addition to the company's core technology, DTS's "extension technologies" have also…
Like most Americans, US audiophiles have little idea how difficult life can be for people in other countries. Imagine facing official censure for possessing some innocuous pop music, or taking 12 years to accumulate the complete works of one of your favorite rock groups. That was life in the old Soviet Union for Stereophile colleague Leonid Korostyshevski, who flew to Istanbul from Moscow on short notice, so we could spend a few days together prior to my embarking on a sailing trip in the eastern Mediterranean. The visit cemented a long-distance friendship established through numberless…
As the saying goes, there are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics. Statistics can be used to help understand what goes on in the world, but, as any marketing exec or PR company knows, they can also be manipulated to tell a particular story.
Two weeks ago we reported on the RIAA's latest, alarming assessment of the music market, which, they report, dropped another 7% in the first six months of 2002 compared to 2001. The RIAA blames digital piracy for their ills, and has taken a hardline position against any unofficial online trading or streaming of audio files.
But there…
The first day of the annual Home Entertainment shows is traditionally devoted to "trade" access only—that is to say, set aside for press conferences and dealer demonstrations (ie officially sanctioned schmoozing and cruising).
This year's event was far heavier on the real work of gleaning information from an unceasing barrage of press conferences than on the less arduous and more fun hanging out with the usual suspects.
Arduous is such a relative term, however, since this year's show actually produced a ton of interesting products and philosophies.
Sony had a huge…
In his second installment of "Fine Tunes," Jonathan Scull writes: "I met a chap the other day whose wife said to me, 'Oh, you suffer from the same audiophile disease.' I hastened to inform her that I am the disease." But J-10 is also the cure, as he proves in this ode to building the perfect listening room.
"There's nothing crueler in audio than asking an arm and a cartridge to track an ultra-dynamic solo piano recording. Actually, there is: asking a mastering engineer to try cutting it, a plating guru to plate it, and a pressing plant to press it." So writes Michael Fremer, who joins John…