Where to jump next when it comes to a digital source component? SACD? DVD-Audio? CD? Nothing? Sam Tellig runs down the options and offers advice in his review of the new Musical Fidelity A324 D/A processor. "In my October 1989 report on the Digilog, I questioned the wisdom of sinking much dough into digital.…
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In his review of the Music Reference RM-200 power amplifier, Michael Fremer claims, "Reviewing a vacuum-tube power amplifier is like having your pants pulled down in front of a large crowd of people." MF explains why he reviewed the RM-200 despite the inevitable public humiliation.
Like the companies in most high-tech industries, audio businesses are a volatile lot, with startups, mergers, acquisitions—and the occasional bankruptcy or flame-out—not uncommon. In that ongoing tradition, at the 2002 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Ultralink Products announced on January 7 its intention to purchase the assets of cable manufacturer XLO Electric.
Last week, Ultralink, which itself manufactures audio and home-theater cables and interconnects, revealed that it has finalized its operating plans in light of its purchase of the assets of XLO Electric. Ultralink says it…
Now there are four. The music industry's "Big Five" record labels officially became the "Big Four" on Thursday, August 5, as Sony Music Entertainment and Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) finalized a merger months in the making. The partners are the music divisions of Sony Corporation and German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, respectively.
The new venture, Sony BMG, will be based in New York City and will be owned 50/50 by the two partners. Excluded from the deal are the parent companies' music publishing operations, as well as their disc manufacturing and distribution businesses. Sony's…
National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) president C. Michael Greene has abruptly resigned in the wake of sexual harassment allegations by female executives at the nonprofit organization, which produces the annual Grammy Music Awards show.
Greene's resignation took place Saturday evening, April 27, during an emergency meeting of the organization's board of trustees at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, attended by 38 of the board's 42 members. At issue were the results of an extensive investigation into Greene's behavior by Los Angeles private investigator Jack Palladino. The…
Visit any major metropolitan city, and chances are you'll eventually stumble upon vendors selling pirate CDs from outdoor tables, often for as little as $5 each. But for the suburban resident in the US, flea markets are where the pirate action is.
But are flea-market operators responsible for knowing which vendors' CDs are pirated and which are legitimate? Yes, says the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which has taken an aggressive stance, suing the owners and operators of the markets for copyright infringement. The trade organization adds that this move is taken only…
After months of wrangling, the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) has announced its first set of standards for portable digital music devices. Manufacturers can now incorporate these standards into the designs of new products. Many industry observers believe that portables will be the next big wave in consumer audio, expected to hit the market by the winter holiday season.
In a July 13 announcement, the SDMI, a cross-industry consortium, emphasized that the standards are "voluntary." New SDMI-compliant devices will play all types of digital music, including "legacy" MP3 files. As…
Kalman Rubinson didn't expect to complete a full review of the Revel Ultima Studio loudspeaker, planning instead to investigate only the company's F30 (also available in the online archives). But after the Studios ended up spending several months in his home, there was only one honorable option available: 'fess up and submit his true feelings.
Brian Damkroger says he has happily listened to the evolution of the fabled Magnepan loudspeakers for two decades, and was eager to get his hands on the company's Magneplanar MG3.6/R. But does this latest Magnepan loudspeaker hit as high a mark as…
Real businesses are moving into territory explored by the upstarts. On August 2, Universal Music Group, the world's largest record label, announced that it will begin offering, on a trial basis, digital downloads of recordings from its massive catalog. The experiment is scheduled to begin this week, with an initial offering of about 60 songs from artists in several genres, including operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti, jazz guitarist George Benson, and pop band Blink 182.
Offerings will increase weekly, a company announcement stated. The purpose of the experiment is to de-bug the…
Sam Tellig and Lonnie Brownell both provide trenchant analyses of the Bryston B-60R integrated amplifier. Tellig notes, "With Bryston gear, you get solid engineering and impeccable—I was going to say unimpeachable—build quality. This is what you pay for; not bulletproof faceplates, gold-plated name badges, or the like."
Next we have a Wes Phillips Audio Power Industries Power Wedge Ultra 116 power conditioner. Phillips writes: "Considering that not that long ago there wasn't even a product category for balanced AC line conditioners, we seem to now enjoy a plethora of the critters." WP then…
Several months back, Stereophile editor John Atkinson asked David Rich to investigate the technical merits of SACD. With Super Audio CD: The Rich Report, DR discovers that there is both more and less than meets the ear to the new format, including why it is being promoted in the first place.
Then John Atkinson takes a look at the new format with Super Audio CD—One Year Later. JA finds himself analyzing the CD, SACD, and DVD-Audio product launches to gain a little perspective on what is going on in the higher end of the music and audio businesses.
Everybody knows that Michael Fremer…