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In a move that acknowledges the increasing convergence of consumer electronics and computer technology, Sony Electronics has reorganized its US sales and marketing structure, and will emphasize digital performance in its new line of products. Foremost among these developments is Sony's recent announcement that its new line of audio and video products will prominently feature its VAIO personal computers. The notebook computers have editing features for video and motion-picture technology, and are quite popular in Japan, where around 100,000 have been sold.
Sad news this week: We heard from Ken Kessler of the passing of legendary UK engineer Stanley Kelly, who died in his sleep on November 13, after suffering a stroke the previous week. Stan would have been 89 next month. While he was, of course, the "Kelly" of the classic Kelly Ribbon Tweeter, he was also one of the founders of Hi-Fi News and was the only person to have been listed on the English magazine's masthead since Vol.1 No.1, the June 1956 issue. In recent years, Stan had developed a series of high-sensitivity speakers for UK manufacturer Musical Fidelity.
Stan had one of the…
The world is mourning the passing of Yehudi Menuhin. The 82-year-old violinist, conductor, author, educator, and humanitarian died of heart failure at Berlin's Martin Luther Hospital on Friday, March 7. He was in Berlin to conduct performances of Brahms and Mendelssohn by the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra.
The son of Ukrainian-born immigrants, Menuhin was born in New York and grew up in San Francisco, where by age four he had begun studying the violin under child-prodigy specialist Sigmund Anker. His public debut took place at the age of seven, when he performed with the San Francisco…
Dick Olsher and various other writers take a spin with the Apogee Stage loudspeaker, whose "resemblance to the rest of the Apogee family is unmistakable" in spite of its small size. But the real story is that, "surprisingly, the sound quality does not take a back seat to its more expensive relatives."
Corey Greenberg and Sam Tellig each take a whack at the Conrad-Johnson PV10 preamplifier. Greenberg exclaims, "A sub-thou all-tube Conrad-Johnson preamp with circuitry derived from the company's most expensive models sounded like just the thing for Real World music lovers who still cling to…
Although some won't openly admit it, plenty of audiophiles with nice systems also own iPods. And they are not alone. According to figures recently revealed by the Consumer Electronics Association, more than 152 million Americans, representing 70% of the total US adult population, own some kind of portable entertainment device.
While wireless phones and notebook PCs are the most common devices used to access handheld content, the CEA reports that portable music players are continuing to gain traction in the market, with household penetration at 15%, up from 11% in 2004. The study also finds…
Believe it or not, there are reportedly several "audiophiles" out there who still refuse to accept that an extremely expensive amplifier can justify its price. "For them, the very idea of a $20,000 pair of monoblocks must seem absolutely ridiculous," writes Wes Phillips. "All I can say is that they should steer clear of the Mark Levinson No.33H, or else risk having their tidy little hypotheses shattered into tiny little pieces." For the complete review, take a look at the latest equipment report to hit the Archives: Mark Levinson No.33H monoblock power amplifier.
We've all heard the…
Once again, audiophiles can help themselves and help others at the same time by participating in The Cable Company's 10th annual "Summer Against Hunger" campaign. The Cable Company and a wide cross-section of its vendors (listed below) have set up a program in which up to 10% of The Cable Company's August sales are donated to CARE and the International Rescue Committee, with contributions to be used to assist the worldwide disaster relief efforts of those humanitarian organizations. This year, the situation is more critical than ever.
The Cable Company's Robert Stein notes, "We dedicate…
From the March 2004 issue, John Atkinson finally gets to listen to the Sonus Faber Cremona loudspeaker and explains, "it took rather longer than I had expected to set the Cremonas up in my listening room. But, like everything worth experiencing, the wait was worth it."
Since we have just added the 2003 "Recommended Components" for purchase as indexed and searchable pdf files on the website, we include JA's "As We See It" from a few years back: "Recommended Components: The Stereophile Way." As Atkinson notes, "Recommended Components" is "the only place where the experiences of all reviewers…
Last night I saw him on the stair—
the little man who wasn't there.
I saw him there again today;
oh, how I wish he'd go away.
the little man who wasn't there.
I saw him there again today;
oh, how I wish he'd go away.
This childhood ditty about a malevolent, ephemeral figure pretty well sums up the audiophile position on watermarking: the mere thought of it is disturbing. Of the respondents to last week's Stereophile "Vote!" question, 90% say they hate the concept or plan to boycott watermarked music. That's quite a bit of animosity toward something that, at this point, is only experimental.
What's really disturbing is running up against your own inadequacies in…
The development of digital AM-radio technology moved a step closer last month when the Fraunhofer Institut Integrierte Schaltungen) (IIS) signed a consortium agreement for the development of digital AM radio with several international radio broadcasters, network operators, and manufacturers.
According to a consortium statement, the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) consortium "is committed to establishing the standard for new digital AM radio technology, improving reception quality and ease of use in the bands below 30MHz, the shortwave, medium-wave, and long-wave bands." Digital Radio Mondiale…