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Michael Fremer has a Shipping Problem

Michael Fremer has a problem.

Someone unknown sent him a 50-lb box of something, presumably audio-related, back in February, which was left on his doorstep while he was out. Happens all the time if the sender has signed for non-attended delivery. (Not something we recommend.)

However, also while he was out, Fedex came by with a call tag to pick up a review sample for return. Seeing the drop-off, they thought it was the pick-up and took it, leaving a tracking number.

When Mikey got home and saw the note from Fedex, he called the Fedex depot to get the package back and have them…

Added to the Archives This Week

More from the August issue: Larry Greenhill updates his system with the Mark Levinson No.436 monoblock power amplifier. LG says, "I was concerned when [Mark Levinson] discontinued its entire 300 series of dual-mono amplifiers, but the company reassured me that they had a suitable replacement in the No. 436." Greenhill decides for himself.

Paul Bolin wonders why you'd bet on the format war when you could have the Esoteric DV-50 universal player. But can you have it all and great sound too? Bolin says, "When the bean-counters are set aside and the engineering staff is unleashed, wonderful…

PS Audio's Power Plant P500

Over the past few years, PS Audio's P300 AC regenerator has been very well received by the audiophile community, winning praise (and a Stereophile "Recommended Components" listing) for its ability to lower the noise floor to vanishing levels and to extract unforeseen levels of performance from users' hi-fi systems. Good as it is, the P300 disappointed some because it can't supply enough current for power amps or other juice-hungry gear needing more than its 300W maximum. Some users also complained that despite the sonic improvement offered, the P300 was too bulky for its power rating, ran…

Sennheiser Turns 60

Last June, Sennheiser, a multinational manufacturer of microphones, headphones, and wireless technology products, celebrated its 60th anniversary. The company was founded as Wennebostel Laboratories (Labor W) in 1945 by Dr. Fritz Sennheiser and seven other employees of the Institute for Radio Frequency Engineering and Electroacoustics at Hanover Technical University. At the time, as Dr. Sennheiser explained when I visited the company's Wennebostel facility 10 years ago, German radio engineers were prohibited by the occupying Allied forces from constructing communications equipment, so he and…

ASCAP Goes After Online Pirates with EZ-Seeker

Are order and justice coming to the lawless frontier of the Internet? The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers has a new tool for cracking down on unauthorized use of copyrighted material on the Internet. Developed by Online Monitoring Services, EZ-Seeker is "web crawler" software that tracks down music and then issues license forms to the users of that music. The announcement followed by less than a week the news (see previous report) of the Recording Industry Association of America's $750,000 settlement from makers of unauthorized "DJ compilations" of hit songs.

EZ-…

Theta Upgrades Preamp/Power Combo

Flexibility is the name of the game as Theta Digital plays it. The innovative Agoura Hills, CA company has announced the Casablanca II, a modular upgradable preamp/processor for music and cinema applications, as well as two-channel modules for its Dreadnaught power amplifier.

Improvements on the original Casablanca include circuitry for Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES Matrix soundtracks, 24/96 DACs on nine channels, and up to 12-channel output (including up to five subwoofer outputs). The original Casablanca featured nine channels. Theta also says that the unit will soon accomodate up to 12…

Grammy Awards 2006

It's the ultimate talent show each year, and I don't think you'll find a bigger collection of musical firepower under one roof (Live 8 was outdoors after all): Paul McCartney, U2, Madonna, Gorillaz, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Linkin Park, Sly Stone, Herbie Hancock, and on and on.

But how many of Stereophile's readers watched the Grammy Awards this past week? I see two hands. The numbers across the US were not much better, trailing even the poor ratings of the last few years.

Our view from the box seats. (Cameras aren't allowed at the Grammys, but someone from our group snuck one…

<I>Against the Dying of the Light</I>, a new CD from Cantus

The combination of accessible world music and transparent sound featured on Let Your Voice Be Heard, the CD released in 2001 by male-voice choir Cantus, made it an audiophile favorite. Stereophile editor John Atkinson returned to Minnesota earlier this year to record Cantus for a second time. This time, however, the program was very different: an ambitious sequence of choral works illustrating a musical and poetic progression from grief and sorrow to consolation and joy, following the tragic events of September 2001.

On its new CD, Against the Dying of the Light (CTS-1202), Cantus takes…

Added to the Archives This Week

A comprehensive set of reviews awaits those interested in learning everything there is to know about the legendary Quad ESL-63 loudspeaker. Writers checking in with analysis, background, and opinion include J. Gordon Holt, Anthony H. Cordesman, Sam Tellig, Martin Colloms, Larry Greenhill, and John Atkinson.

Robert J. Reina claims, "Polk Audio is the Rodney Dangerfield of high-end audio." As he asks in his review of the Polk Audio RT25i loudspeaker, "Why does this conscientious, innovative, and well-organized company garner no respect from hard-to-please audiophiles?" Reina's here to set…

The Show Must Go On

The official launch of XM Satellite Radio was set for September 12. But within hours of the September 11 attack on New York and the Pentagon, XM announced that it would be postponing its debut, which was slated to take place in Washington DC at its headquarters and broadcast studio complex.

The new launch date is Tuesday, September 25 and the $9.99 a month service officially begins at 1pm. XM says that its radios can now be purchased at consumer electronics retailers throughout the San Diego and Dallas/Fort Worth areas and that it will activate customers' radios in these markets prior to…