search

Added to the Archives This Week

While doing research for his analysis of the Totem Acoustic Forest loudspeaker, Larry Greenhill uncovered a legacy of great reviews for the company's previous products each ending with a final "but . . ." comment. But . . . does Greenhill discover any killer "buts" with the Forest? He explains in detail.

In his essay "Bits vs Atoms," George Reisch explains how the whole Napster-kindled debate about digital content distribution may, in the end, actually be good news for live music fans.

Next, more excellent reader insights are offered in Jonathan Scull's Fine Tunes #36 from the…

Classic Internet Deal

Like most of the record business, classical music is having a tough time finding a new audience in the digital download world. And in line with the recent moves by record labels to market popular music online, classical music fans in the UK will soon have another bona fide incentive for locating and legally purchasing works via the Internet.

Last week, UK Internet service providers Freeserve and Classical.com announced that they have signed a commercial agreement to provide a classical music subscription service on Freeserve's website. The new collaboration has been named Freeserve…

<I>Stereophile </I> makes its first jazz recording

On August 25 and 26, John Atkinson and Wes Phillips were in Salina, Kansas. They were recording what will be Stereophile's first jazz album, at the deconsecrated downtown church Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds has transformed into Blue Heaven Studios. The band, led by acoustic bass guitarist Jerome Harris, featured alto saxophonist Marty Ehrlich, trombonist Art Baron, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, and percussionist Billy Drummond. Over the two days, the quintet recorded a striking set of original compositions by Harris, as well as a superb tribute to Duke Ellington in one of the great…

Aiwa's Mini-System Features CD Recorder

One of the most amazing things about the march of technology is the way quality goes up as prices go down. Only a few years ago, CD recorders were among the rarest and most expensive audio components. Now they're beginning to appear at budget prices.

As of October 13, Aiwa is taking affordability to a new level with its XR-C3RW, a full-featured mini-system with a built-in CD-R/RW recorder for making digital recordings on blank CDs. Sporting a list price of only $700, the Aiwa system includes—in addition to the CD recorder—a three-CD changer that will play commercial CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-…

Justice Department vs. Big Music

As reported last week, the US Justice Department has launched an anti-trust investigation of the music industry's strategy for online distribution. The probe intensified during the fourth week of October, with investigators presenting at least 10 "civil investigation demands" (CIDs) to participants in the music industry's nascent Internet ventures, MusicNet and pressplay.

Legal departments at the Recording Industry Association of America, Warner Music, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, BMG, and Universal Music were given 22 days to respond to the letters, which seek information regarding…

Watermark Patent Awarded

There appears to be nothing more important to the music business today than controlling the distribution and use of digital content on the web and in the home. Proprietary schemes to prevent or control the use of audio files have become hot commodities and valuable assets for many companies. Liquid Audio recently announced that the US Patent Office has awarded the company a patent (#6,219,634) for its watermark technique used for distributing secure digital music files.

The company says, "This newly patented invention covers a technique for embedding and detecting watermark data within an…

Another Challenge for the Hackers?

One of the constraints of the DVD format that is much hated by consumers around the world is the notorious "region code," whereby a DVD disc will only play in a machine that was bought in the country or region that the disc is licensed for. Hollywood claims that this is the only way to protect a work's licenses, which may vary from country to country. But region codes have made it tough on citizens in countries with few DVD releases and world travelers who try to bring home and play discs that they find abroad, leading to the widespread use of "hacks" to circumvent the restrictions.

The…

Universal, BMG Embrace "Advanced Audio Coding" for Downloads

An improved digital-audio compression standard has been adopted by the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and the Universal Music Group for commercial music downloads. "Advanced Audio Coding" (AAC) is said to offer higher audio quality while occupying 30% less bandwidth and storage space than the popular MP3 format, according to an announcement from San Francisco–based Dolby Laboratories.

Developed and standardized by four major technology companies—AT&T, Dolby, Fraunhofer IIS, and Sony Corporation—AAC is said to provide up to 48 channels of audio (at unspecified levels of resolution),…

New DAC Chips from AKM Semiconductor Push Audio Performance Envelope

High-end digital audio's rapid advancements are pushing integrated circuit designers to exceed their previous limits. San Diego-based AKM Semiconductor has joined the chip elite with two new digital-to-analog devices that further push the performance envelope. The AK4394 is a 24-bit/192kHz stereo DAC based on Asahi Kasei Microsystems' advanced multi-bit delta-sigma technology. Its sibling, the AK4356, is a 24-bit/192kHz, six-channel DAC based on the same technology, but boasting a useful and fascinating array of features.

AKM claims the AK4394 is "the industry's best-performing…

Troy Kosovich, Dynaudio's Director of Marketing, dies in a car accident

Troy Kosovich, Dynaudio's director of marketing, died Tuesday, September 14 in a single-car accident near Bozeman, Montana. According to a newspaper report, he apparently lost control of his Isuzu Rodeo while returning to his hotel after an evening with a client. Troy was 37 years old and is survived by his wife, Angel, and his three-year-old son, Killian.

Troy had been with Dynaudio for only 28 days, having joined the firm after a four-year stint as Wilson Audio Specialties' director of sales and marketing. Before joining Wilson, Troy had been sales manager for Salt Lake City retailer…