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Tonal accuracy vs. soundstage? "Achieving an optimum balance between the two philosophical extremes of recording is where much of the art lies. It also begs the question, of course, of why it's impossible to have both: a recording with a virtual-reality sense of imaging that also captures all the sound without any coloration." While recording the Sonata CD for Stereophile, John Atkinson wrestles with every recording engineer's dilemma. Read about the struggle to capture Robert Silverman performing Liszt's monumental B-Minor Piano Sonata and the ultimate solution in "Fate, I Defy You,"…
FireWire's prospects got a little hotter last week, as equipment manufacturers Denon Electronics and Onkyo announced new license agreements with Digital Harmony Technologies. The companies say that they have selected Digital Harmony to add standards-based IEEE-1394 (aka FireWire or iLink) interfaces to their product lines, and both companies expect to release Digital Harmony-powered products in 2000, each certified for compatibility with a number of 1394-based products made by other Digital Harmony partners in the US and Europe.
According to Denon and Onkyo, prototypes of the first devices…
President George W. Bush has created a new senior level position, aimed at combating the global counterfeiting and piracy of American intellectual property—a category that encompasses everything from copies of Hollywood films to faked auto parts. The new IP czar will be Chris Israel, currently deputy chief of staff for Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.
Israel served as deputy director of international public policy for AOL Time Warner and as a senior public policy analyst for Time Warner, Inc. from 1997 until joining the Commerce Department in 2001. Mr. Israel also has Congressional…
It may read like a page out of a classic corporate crime thriller, but the threat is real. ExpoPul, a company whose factory in Saratov, Russia manufactures vacuum tubes under the brand names Sovtek, Electro-Harmonix, Tungsol, Svetlana, Mullard, and others—tubes that include the 6H30 "super tube"—is threatened by one of the many Russian corporate "raiders" who are increasingly stealing businesses from their rightful owners. If the threatened hostile takeover proves successful, two-thirds of the world's supply of vacuum tubes—tubes vital to the sound of audiophile gear and instruments from such…
In his essay "Let's Face the Music and Dance," John Marks, founder of John Marks Records, asks: "Does high-end audio have a future?" Of course it does, he says. But will it be one worth the price? Marks writes, "for most of its potential consumers, high-end audio is now a matter of sharply diminishing economic returns. A large incremental expenditure guarantees only a relatively modest, even marginal improvement in sound quality." How to forge ahead anyway? Marks offers his advice to our "dysfunctional" audio family.
"You know, Wes," exclaims John Atkinson, "you can't describe us setting…
In his review of the Conrad-Johnson Premier Twelve monoblock amplifier, Michael Fremer notes, "Conrad-Johnson is one of audio's 'marquee' companies, and charges accordingly." MF uncovers what you really get for your $7000, aside from 140Wpc and a top-shelf name.
The year was 1986 and CD players were still in short pants. John Atkinson reviewed the California Audio Labs Tempest CD player (his first review for Stereophile!) and wrote, "Now, at least, it should be possible to enjoy CD without guilt." In his review, JA dissects the Philips-based machine, exploring one of the earliest examples…
The US Copyright Office is being pulled in opposite directions over a recent decree establishing royalty rates for music played by webcasters. On one side are radio stations and Internet-only music sites, which claim that the rates are too high. On the other side is the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which claims that the rates are too low. Both sides have filed separate appeals in US federal court.
The rate was set June 19 by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington at 0.07¢ per listener per song, or 70¢ for every song broadcast to an audience of 1000 listeners.…
In his review of the Meridian 508.24 CD player, Wes Phillips finds the machine "a beautiful design with impeccable technical credentials—a CD player that belongs, with only a few others, at the very sharpest portion of the leading edge, and that joins them in producing sound that is highly musical and hard to criticize."
Wes Phillips also delivers his take on the Audio Research CD2 CD player. Noting, as he did with the Meridian 508.24, that most modern CD players are converging on pretty decent sound, Phillips says, "We have reached the point, as the Audio Research CD2 illustrates, where…
On Monday, January 5th, Go-Video, Inc. announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire California Audio Labs LLC. Under the California Audio Labs and Cinevision brand names, Cal Audio designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes digital audio and video products marketed to the high-end home entertainment systems market.
The transaction, which will be accounted for under the purchase accounting method, is valued at $775,000 plus assumption of debt, and is expected to be completed on January 31, 1998. Under the terms of the agreement, Cal Audio will operate as a wholly-owned…
Editor's Note: This is Part Three of a six-part series from reader Hervé Delétraz of Switzerland, who is chronicling the development of his DIY (do-it-yourself) audio amplifier. Part One is here, and Part Two is here.
After exploring the different amplifier topologies presented in the last article, I can now better explain what my design goals were—apart, of course, from building the best amp in the world! Your own kids are always the best, aren't they?
The goals:
• All bipolar, unbalanced, symmetrical topology.
• No compensation (no thermal or electrical) circuit.
• No…