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.…
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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.
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…
February's the month when Stereophile publishes its coveted "Records To Die For" feature, wherein everybody working for the magazine gets to make like a music critic and add their two cents' worth about what gets them excited (musically speaking). R2D4 2001 is on newsstands right now, in the February issue of Stereophile; to commemorate its publication, we add the 2000 "Records To Die For" to the online archives.
"Even right out of the box, it's obvious that the Wadia Digital 861 CD player is something special," writes Brian Damkroger in this month's issue. "Its heft and finish are beyond the usual high-end standards." But how about the sound?
Wes Phillips pops the latest RME Digi96/8 PAD computer soundcard into his PC and sets out to record some music. "As someone who had lusted after the most modest project studio for years—and since I was in the market for a new computer—I knew that a high-quality soundcard was in my future." Phillips reports on the sonic results.
"What kind of speaker…
Will audio dealers be interested in selling a product that's been available so far only via mail-order? Audio Advisor thinks so, and has created a new distribution company, WS Distributing, to begin selling the Musical Fidelity product line through "qualified" high-end audio dealers in the USA beginning May 21. Musical Fidelity has been available through retailers in Europe and Asia for years, but in the US, only from AA's catalog and website sales.
AA's Wayne Schuurman explains that "during our last four years distributing Musical Fidelity, we've received numerous requests from dealers to…
For his review of the diminutive Acarian Systems Alón Petite loudspeaker, Wes Phillips explains that the "li'l guys frequently image like bandits—which some of us just can't resist." Also included is Robert J. Reina's followup review of Alón's matching PW-1 woofer system, from February 1997, along with his take on the Alón Petite.
A stable of Stereophile scribes covered the legendary Spica TC-50 loudspeaker back in the mid- to late '80s. We've compiled comments from Anthony H. Cordesman, J. Gordon Holt, Larry Archibald, Martin Colloms, and John Atkinson for your reading pleasure. See…
Sam Tellig triggered a hailstorm of comment with his original review of the RadioShack Optimus CD-3400 portable CD player. After Tellig suggested that the modest player just might be a cheapskate audiophile delight, writers Corey Greenberg, Jack English, John Atkinson, Barry Willis, and Robert Harley each added his two cents. Some revealing but hitherto unpublished measurements are also included.
John Atkinson learned how easy it is to make a wrong assumption as he drove through Connecticut and discovered the forest among So Many Trees!. So what do assumptions about millions of trees…
One of the more intriguing discussions we had at last week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was with Jim Weil of Berkeley, CA–based Sound Application.
The company's line conditioners have been well-reviewed and have been endorsed by a number of the industry's luminaries, including engineer Tim De Paravacini and loudspeaker designers Alan Yun and Albert Von Schweikert. Mobile Fidelity's Shawn Britten uses Sound Application devices for high-resolution mastering, and CBS has them installed in its Studio Center listening room. Once dismissed by old school engineers as snake oil, AC line…