The National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) and the Global Entertainment Retail Alliance (GERA) have now announced their support for guidelines for labeling of copy-controlled discs as released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). NARM has been outspoken in the past,…
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There's no question that restricted-use or copy-protected CDs are finding their way onto retailer shelves and into unsuspecting consumer hands—often with frustrating results. What is in doubt in many consumers' minds is how to recognize a restricted-use disc before purchase.
On April 14, Krell Industries invited the New York–based audio press to its first-ever American demonstration of its Evolution electronics separates, at Sound By Singer. In a surprise move, the company also debuted a complete "re-imagining" of its flagship loudspeaker, the LAT-1: the $55,000/pair LAT-1000. "We set out to improve the LAT-1," Krell CEO Dan D’Agostino said, "and in the end, probably the only parts we retained from the original design were the top and bottom panels. The LAT-1000 is essentially a completely new design—although it does retain the same footprint as the LAT-1, since…
Universal Music Group (UMG) may go on the auction block to help bail out debt-ridden Vivendi Universal. On March 6, Vivendi announced a record loss of $25.4 billion (€23.3 billion) for the 2002 fiscal year. The biggest loss in French corporate history followed a staggering $14.9 billion (€13.6 billion) loss for 2001.
The major part—$20.2 billion (€18.4 billion)—of the loss was in write-downs of acquired businesses, including $7.1 billion (€6.5 billion) for Vivendi Universal Entertainment, $5.8 billion (€5.3 billion) for Universal Music Group (UMG), and $5.9 billion (€5.4 billion) for…
The object of the audio game, as Stereophile founder J. Gordon Holt put it, is "to re-create original acoustic events as accurately as possible." That goal has driven engineers to extraordinary lengths, improving every link in the recording and playback chain. Most such improvements are incremental, but their cumulative effect is the sometimes astounding level of sonic realism available today from even moderately priced equipment.
But rarely does a truly new concept pop up on audio's radar screen. A new tweeter material or power-supply capacitor isn't earthshaking news, and incremental…
We've reported many times on the mass lawsuits filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) against individuals or institutions that it alleges are illegally participating in peer-to-peer file-sharing activities, so we felt it only fair to report on a lawsuit where the trade group is being sued. Actually, the RIAA's attorneys are being sued by James and Angela Nelson, who were themselves the target of Motown v. Nelson, which alleged that the couple had allowed an employee of Ms. Nelson's home-run daycare center to access P2P websites from their computer.
The Nelsons were…
The music industry's anti-piracy war took a new turn August 16, when a coalition of major record labels filed suit against several large Internet service providers in the hope of blocking access to an offshore free music site.
The copyright infringement suit filed in Manhattan federal court seeks an injunction that would require defendants AT&T Broadband Corporation, Cable & Wireless USA, Sprint Corporation, Advanced Network Services, and UUNET Technologies to prevent their subscribers from logging onto Listen4ever.com, a site based in mainland China that purportedly runs servers…
Last week, Primedia announced the next in a series of editorial upgrades to its Home Technology & Photography specialty group. The group is redesigning its Stereophile Guide to Home Theater magazine to become Stereophile Ultimate AV (new URL: www.ultimateavmag.com) starting with the June 2004 issue. Hitting newsstands May 11, the redesigned magazine will feature 16 pages of new and expanded editorial content for high-end audio/video enthusiasts, more advertisers, and an enhanced consumer-friendly design.
The upgrade to Stereophile Ultimate AV comes on the heels of recent Primedia…
In a move that could save exhibitors a considerable amount of money, the 2001 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is being rescheduled for a day earlier than previously announced. Originally planned to run from Sunday, January 7 through Wednesday, January 10, 2001, the show will now begin on Saturday, January 6 and run through Tuesday, January 9.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) made the announcement February 25. A primary reason for the change is that beginning the show on Sunday would require weekend and overtime construction on displays and booths, and run up…
Writer Chip Stern has regarded the form-over-function products from "lifestyle" companies, such as Bose and B&O, for years now with great amusement. But can audiophiles find a product that looks as good as it sounds? Stern calls the Linn Classik CD receiver a "sleek, unobtrusive, uncomplicated design that does double duty as a lifestyle system and—for those who don't want the hassle of separate components—a true high-end performer." Too good to be true? Stern expounds.
Jonathan Scull simply cannot resist a cheap but effective tweak. In Fine Tunes #31, J-10 discusses a handful of sure-…
Editor's Note: This is Part Two 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.)
As I mentioned in my last article, I decided to concentrate on an analog approach to my amplifier project. Digital had many advantages, but amplifer design is not like designing computer chips. Sound quality was my final goal, and only a few digital amps are of high-end class, even in the year 2000. The main reason I (briefly) gave up the digital way was a money problem. The simulation…