The saga began last fall, when the TGI Group (Tannoy Goodmans International) announced that it was planning to close its Mordaunt-Short/Epos operation within the next three months. However, between Christmas and the New Year came the announcement that M-S/Epos had been purchased by the Audio Partnership, a British manufacturing/sourcing operation that includes…
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The final piece of the TGI/Mordaunt-Short/Epos jigsaw puzzle (see previous story) seems to have fallen into place, with the news that Mike Creek (of the UK's Creek Audio) is purchasing the Epos loudspeaker brand, effective March 1.
CD prices have been a sore spot for many music lovers. Our own online polls indicate that Stereophile readers think CDs cost too much (most think they should be under $10), while Stereophile editor John Atkinson has pointed out that for smaller labels, the economics of CD production only work when the prices are kept higher.
But what about online music pricing? Grabbing a song off of iTunes gets you the music, but with no full color booklet or CD in a jewel case that you can eventually trade or sell, are you still willing to pay CD-like prices? And consider that to fully load up a single…
We get so confused department: Officially, it's day one of the show, even though we've already been here a whole day. But—as we keep having to remind ourselves—it's not all about us. Today was the day the showgoers arrived.
The difference in energy level was remarkable. Yesterday was the busiest press day ever at a Home Entertainment Show, but today, the halls were abuzz with excitement and anticipation. Us too, actually.
With good reason. Our first stop was Ray Kimber's IsoMike room. IsoMike is a baffle system Kimber developed that increases the apparent separation between two (…
The mid-20th century was a time of tremendous political and social upheaval, technological advancement, and artistic innovation. Jazz---an American invention---is arguably the greatest single development in the history of modern music. Most of its pioneers are gone now, but their legacy lives on in their recordings---and in photographs.
The Golden Age of Jazz---loosely defined as the era from the 1930s through the 1960s---was a period when legends as diverse as Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Duke Ellington were extremely…
The marque may be gone, but Proceed's PAV audio/video preamplifier is not forgotten. In 1994, Thomas J. Norton examined the breakthrough the PAV represented, stating, "It was inevitable that traditional high-end audio manufacturers would begin producing equipment for the fast-growing home-theater market."
Both J. Gordon Holt and Anthony H. Cordesman tackle the Audio Research SP-11 preamplifier, which represented a milestone for the company back in the mid '80s. JGH notes, "The control lineup on the SP-11 is awesome." And then there is the sound, which gets JGH hopping: "Sometimes I…
Three reviews from January: First, Art Dudley gives us his take on the Final Laboratory Music-4 phono preamplifier, Music-5 line preamplifier, and Music-6 power amplifier. Art writes, "Modern hi-fi is little more than a way of getting electricity to pretend that it's music."
Next, Brian Damkroger listens to the Kirksaeter Silverline 60 loudspeaker, remarking, "One of the nicest surprises at any audio show is encountering a new—to me, at least—manufacturer whose products seem to stand out from the competition."
Then, Chip Stern fires up the Rogue Audio Magnum Ninety-Nine preamplifier…
Warner's new e-label: In an announcement datelined "Aspen, CO," many news services reported, Warner Music Group chairman and CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr. introduced a new Internet music distribution system called an "e-label," which would eschew CDs by allowing artists to issue their music in clusters of three songs every few months.
Bronfman explained that Warner's e-label scheme would create a "supportive, lower-risk environment," presumably as compared to the current system that demands complete albums and blockbuster commercial hits. "Rather than releasing an album every couple of years,…
Genesis Technologies, one of the audio industry's most respected names throughout the 1990s, has ceased operation and has filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 7 of US bankruptcy law. The company's website (www.gen-tech.com) has gone dark. Genesis was more than a million dollars in debt near the end, according to a source familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The bankruptcy petition was filed in late November in Colorado, the company's base of operations, according to minority shareholder Mark Schifter, founding partner of Perpetual Technologies.…
For all of the audiophiles who lament that the industry is simply preaching to the converted, Harman International's Mark Levinson® brand has a response: Wait'll you get a load of this.
The manufacturer of high-end audio and video systems has decided to put its name out in front of a real mass audience, proudly announcing its sponsorship of Paul McCartney's current 26-city US concert tour, which began in Miami on September 16th and ends November 30th at the Staples Center in LA. The brand will maintain a highly visible presence at all 37 shows, and concert-goers will have an opportunity to…
Listening room not up to snuff? Kalman Rubinson fires up the Rives Audio PARC 3-Band Parametric Equalizer to see whether it can tame a wild acoustic beast. KR reports that at "low frequencies, electronic EQ can be implemented without introducing significant distortion or noise in the midrange, where the ear is most sensitive."
From 1991, Lewis Lipnick does a detailed analysis of the Krell KBL preamplifier, finding that, "As with everything else Krell's Dan D'Agostino designs, the KBL is a visual and technical tour de force."
In "Listening #7," Art Dudley first uncovers a couple of…