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Sirius Gets Serious

Sirius Satellite Radio has achieved three milestones in its campaign to reach profitability.

On December 8, the New York–based broadcaster announced that it now has more than 200,000 subscribers to its nationwide service. The company also announced that this holiday shopping season is the first during which consumers will have wide access to Sirius receivers from Kenwood and Audiovox. Among new products is a home audio unit from Kenwood, and, from Audiovox, a trucker's receiver and a boombox, said to be available in limited quantities.

"This is the first time that we are going into a…

Added to the Archives This Week

John Atkinson wires up a pair of Gershman Acoustics Opera Sauvage loudspeakers, noting, "'Mellow' was the word I used to describe my first impression of the Opera Sauvage's balance, and nothing I experienced throughout my auditioning persuaded me that that impression was mistaken."

Also from the July 2004 issue, we have Keith Howard's feature on loudspeaker design, "Cutting Corners." KH muses, "If anyone ever thinks to compile a list of the 100 seminal audio papers that should be found in every tech-aware audiophile's filing cabinet, Harry Olson's 'Direct Radiator Loudspeaker Enclosures'…

Added to the Archives This Week

To kick off his three-loudspeaker survey from the January 2004 issue, Art Dudley sets up the Meadowlark Audio Swift loudspeaker in his room and notes, "You look at something like the Meadowlark Swift and you think, How can they sell this for only $1195/pair?"

Next, AD reviews the Horn Shoppe Horn loudspeaker, writing, "Forget the numbers: The Horns played music with guts and conviction. They had a sure, tight sense of pitch and rhythm, and my attention never wandered from the music while I was in their presence."

In review number three, AD takes a listen to the Moth Audio Cicada…

DVD-Audio, the Internet, and Those Pesky Downloads

Last Month, music labels, distributors, and retailers met in Las Vegas for the 41st annual National Association of Recording Merchandisers convention to wrestle with several new issues wrought by the digital age. NARM Chairperson Rachelle Friedman set the tone for the event when she stated in the keynote address that "for the music industry, the 21st century and the impact of the Internet have already thrust themselves upon us."

DVD-Audio took center stage for much of the event, with several demonstrations and seminars geared toward informing the industry about what it is and what it is…

2002 CES Day Four

Exhibitors reported that traffic was improving Thursday, as the halls became more crowded and the music grew a bit louder. Plenty of new products are on hand and we're starting to realize that even four or five days may not be enough to see and hear everything the high-end has to offer.

Loudspeaker manufacturer Thiel announced its long-awaited CS1.6, a two-way, floor-standing design that the company says is shipping to dealers this week. The CS1.6 sells for $2390/pair in any of the company's luxurious wood finishes, but it's also available in standard black for the relative bargain of…

Burr-Brown Introduces Low-Cost 96kHz Audio DAC

This week, Burr-Brown Corporation announced the PCM1733, a low-cost, CD-quality audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC) designed for high-volume, mass-market consumer audio applications.

The PCM1733 is a complete stereo audio DAC offering 18-bit/96kHz performance. As a result of the PCM1733's price/performance ratio, 96kHz sampling rates can now be included in lower-cost consumer audio systems. High-volume applications that demand CD-quality audio at a low cost include PC add-on cards, PC motherboards, digital satellite set-top boxes, and low-cost DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and CD (…

Busy Months Ahead for Audio Industry

The autumn months will be hectic ones for the audio industry, with many gatherings vying for the attention of engineers, marketing executives, and journalists. Here are but a few of the coming events:

Heading the list is the 105th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society, scheduled for San Francisco's Moscone Center, September 26-29. In addition to meetings of technical and standards committees, there will be over 350 exhibits occupying the Center's North Hall---the largest showcase for professional audio in the world. Exhibits will be open from 12 noon to 6pm Saturday, September 27;…

Retailing: Good Present, Bright Future

Some ultra-high-end two-channel specialists may still be singing the blues, but others in the electronics retailing business are humming happier tunes.

Eden Prairie, MN–based chain Best Buy Co. reported a rise of 5.7% in same store sales for the first quarter of 2002. In a press release dated Thursday, June 6, the retailer said it experienced stronger than expected sales, and predicted first quarter earnings of 21¢ per share. That compares well to the company's 26¢ per share for the same period in 2001.

Thanks primarily to sustained sales growth of digital televisions, DVD players…

With Friends like Sony . . .

It's bad enough for stores competing with each other for consumer loyalty—imagine how retailers must feel when the largest consumer-electronics company in the world decides to compete with you as well. This grim reality came true for dealers around the world last week, when Sony Electronics outlined its plans for SonyStyle.com, which the company describes as "an information-rich e-commerce website." The site is scheduled to be launched this fall.

This is not entirely new ground for Sony, which in the past has opened its own retail outlets in several major cities. But Sony's aggressive…

Consumer Electronics Show: January 8, 1999

Ah, it's good to be home again. We have finally arrived at the Alexis Park complex, the enclave of specialty audio. It's a much more civilized venue than the Convention Center, but, here as there, new products prevail. Only drawback this year: Someone has apparently rerouted the airplane take-offs from nearby McCarran airport to directly overhead, making it tough to continue a conversation or demo for more than 5 minutes.

Martin-Logan has introduced several new affordable electrostatic-panel/dynamic-woofer hybrid loudspeakers: notably, the $1895 Scenario, which looks like the ReQuest's…