search
By several common measures, the American economy appears to be emerging from its first recession in a decade. On Friday, April 26, the US Commerce Department reported economic growth of 5.8% (annual rate) for the first quarter. Gross domestic product (GDP), generally considered the broadest indicator of the economy's health, was the strongest since the final quarter of 1999. The 5.8% rate is especially encouraging in view of the 1.7% rate during the fourth quarter of 2001. The US Labor Department also reported a decline in first-time applications for unemployment benefits during the last…
Meet the new boss: Harman Specialty Group, the division of Harman Consumer Group responsible for the Mark Levinson, Revel, and Lexicon brands, has a new president. John Batliner is a 12-year veteran of the company, and, most recently, executive vice-president of HSG. Wayne Morris, current president of the company, will remain active until the end of April.
New requests: ReQuest, Inc. has announced new models and upgrades in its operating system software. An all-new reference music server, the S-Series S4.2500, which offers digital audio output as well as three additional balanced analog…
From the January 2004 issue, Michael Fremer writes about the "SUV-like, limited-edition, 20th-anniversary" Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista kWP preamplifier & Tri-Vista kW Monobloc power amplifier. No doubt the "bank-vault-like" designs will get your attention, but as Fremer discovers, after you close your eyes, it's "sheer sonic pleasure."
While SACD and DVD-Audio still try to get a little traction, John Atkinson notes that "CD is still the predominant means for audiophiles to get a high-quality musical fix." Thus, JA justifies reviewing the $6700 Mark Levinson No.390S CD Processor to see…
In another milestone for digital broadcasting, Lucent Digital Radio announced last week that it has successfully tested its In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) system, live and over the air, with National Public Radio (NPR) member station WBJB-FM of Lincroft, New Jersey. According to Lucent, the tests showed that there was no degradation of the host FM analog channel during the transmission of the digital FM signal over the same band.
Lucent says it began field-testing with WBJB-FM in April 1999 to evaluate a range of technical issues associated with digital FM radio…
The affordable universal disc player may yet become a reality—if Royal Philips Electronics has anything to do with it.
On March 11, the Dutch electronics giant introduced the SAA7893HL, an integrated circuit chip that could help bring Super Audio CD (SACD) to the mass market. "The SAA7893HL chip will allow DVD makers to easily integrate SACD into their DVD-Video players at costs which will open the large volume market, enabling consumers to experience sound quality superior to that of a CD from the comfort of their living rooms," stated the official announcement.
Samples of the chip…
One of the industry's nastier legal disputes is over. Boulder, CO-based Avalon Acoustics, Inc. has withdrawn a threatened "trade dress infringement" lawsuit against competitor Silverline Audio Technology, Inc. of Concord, CA, according to an Avalon press release circulated December 7. "Trade dress infringement" is a legalism referring to a competitor's use of a design that has become so closely associated in the public mind with a particular brand that it amounts to a virtual trademark.
The nearly year-long feud, over the use of beveled-corner cabinet designs, was settled out of court…
Holding his thumb and forefinger together to reveal barely a sliver of light, Chris English said, "This close. We're this close." He wasn't talking about how far apart we were sitting, but about how close Threshold is to being back in business after an attempted restructuring last year did not work out.
A household name among audiophiles for two decades, Threshold went into limbo in January 1998, when crushing debt and slumping sales due to the Asian economic crisis drove it and sister company PS Audio into the ground. Randy Patton was the principal owner of both companies at the time,…
Roger A. Modjeski's RAM Labs and Music Reference electronics now have a home on the Internet.
On July 1, the 21-year-old company announced the opening of its online store, offering the full line of RAM Labs' tested and matched tubes, select Music Reference components and accessories, interconnects, and several passive preamp kits. Of particular interest to owners of Music Reference RM-200 amplifiers is an upgrade KT88 output tube claimed to be capable of better bass and damping than the original device.
RAM Labs online also stocks ultra-low-noise 12AU7s for CAT preamps and a…
Price fixing rumors squashed: On Tuesday, December 23, the US Department of Justice officially ended a two-year investigation of price fixing by major record labels, with a report that it had found no evidence to support any of the allegations. The investigation began in summer 2001 and concentrated primarily on online music service MusicNet, a joint venture by Warner Music Group, EMI Group, BMG Entertainment, and RealNetworks; and Pressplay, a joint venture by Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. The majors had been accused of conspiring to keep startups out of the online…
Returned products are problematic for consumers, retailers, and manufacturers. Returns have always eaten into profits in the audio and video business. Everybody knows that. What isn't widely known is that the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association sponsors an annual conference to help deal with the problem.
This year, Product Returns '98 will be held September 15 at the Chicago O'Hare Marriott Hotel. Co-sponsors of the one-day conference include the Professional Audio/Video Retailers Association (PARA), the American Hardware Manufacturers Association (AHMA), the Computing…