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At nearly simultaneous press receptions in London and New York on November 17, B&W unveiled its new 800 series loudspeakers, the first complete redesign of this respected and venerable line in more than six years. Wisely, the presentation began with cocktails and a surprisingly entertaining technical description of the innovations. The latter offered many reassurances that, although all aspects of the 800 line were examined, no changes were made simply for the sake of change, and the basic design principles withstood this re-examination. Thus, when we were, at last, treated to the…
One billion dollars in 1997---thatÆs the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association's first-ever estimate of the high-end industry's factory-sales volume. The number could be as high as $1.4 billion, according to a CEMA projection for the entire industry based on sales data of a representative sample of 32 companies. The results of the survey were published March 23 on CEMA's website.
The projection is a first for the association. "It's not the first time we've sampled companies [for their sales volume], but it's the first time we've projected the entire industry's sales," said a…
Music file–sharing service Napster Inc. appears to be losing its fight against the Record Industry Association of America. On May 8, judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the US District Court in Northern California rejected two of Napster's key defenses: that it is a "mere conduit" of information, like a telephone network; and that it had made serious efforts to prevent "repeat offenders" from using the site. Telephone companies, Internet service providers, and other types of information services are exempt by law from being responsible for the information transmitted over their systems, provided…
Music sales over the past two years have increased almost everywhere except near college campuses, according to a recent study undertaken by Reciprocal, Inc., a digital-rights management company. The first quarter of 2000 showed a 12% rise in overall music sales compared to the same period in 1998—except at stores located within five miles of a college campus. Reciprocal reached its conclusions based on figures supplied by sales-tracking organization Soundscan, Inc.
Stores near colleges showed a 4% drop in sales during the same period—a significant figure in light of the fact that such…
Kalman Rubinson looks past the odd knobs to discover what's at the heart of the Blue Circle BC21 preamplifier & BC22 power amplifier. KR reveals, "In the past, I've found components with small drawbacks that made them unacceptable, but the Blue Circle BC21 and BC22 triumphed over their flaws."
From 1992, Robert Harley conducts an exhaustive analysis of the two-box Linn Karik/Numerik CD player. "After years of anticipation, speculation, and rumor, the Linn CD player has arrived," writes Harley. Was the Linn CD player worth waiting for? "We'll find out," proclaims RH.
Brian…
As this is filed, there are only a couple of days until the end of the year, but still plenty of time to get these predictions under the interconnect. You can find part one here, and part two here.
7) "Breakthrough" speaker technologies still don't dent the high-end market.
1997 saw the emergence of some radical, highly publicized new speaker designs. First we were enticed with the Flatland products from NXT, and then the hypersonic wonders from ATC hit the press. But follow-up evaluations, though confirming that the devices make sound, haven't convinced us that they're ready for…
Audiophiles tend to be a fussy lot. But there are always a few sure-fire items that will put a smile on their faces without breaking the bank. We've got dozens of great ideas, guaranteed to suit every taste, available online (links are below) from our secure Web pages.
Stereophile's editor, John Atkinson, is a busy man. In addition to carefully shaping each issue of our beloved magazine, he tries to create at least one reference quality recording each year. Last year saw the release of the much heralded, ground-breaking 10-CD box set of Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas with Robert…
Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group are more than friendly competitors, in the view of the Federal Trade Commission. They are also partners in crime, according to charges filed against the two on July 31 in New York.
The FTC has charged that the two partners in the 1998 joint-venture release of The Three Tenors Live In Paris conspired to fix prices on the disc. The agency determined that Warner Music, a subsidiary of AOL Time Warner, and Vivendi Universal's UMG agreed to suspend promotion and discounting of previous Three Tenors releases to maximize the profits on the latest…
As normally conceived, loudspeakers use electrodynamic forces to control the movements of their diaphragms, which in turn move air. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. has come up with an interesting twist on this principle, one in which air pressure itself ("aerodynamic-drive technology") is used to control the diaphragm. The result is a transparent panel speaker called the "Sound Window," announced by the Japanese industrial giant March 27.
The invention is intended to mate acoustic radiating surfaces with video displays, enabling the launch of sound and image from the same…
On June 17, Carlton Communications, owner of Technicolor, announced that it has entered into a merger agreement to acquire Nimbus CD International, one of the world's largest independent manufacturers of optical discs, including CD-Audio, DVD, DVD-ROM, and CD-ROM.
According to the announcement, Carlton plans to expand the business alongside Technicolor, which currently produces 650 million videocassettes and 40 million CDs a year, and which expects to triple DVD capacity to 15 million units a year.
Following the agreement, Carlton will make a cash-tender offer of $11.50 per share for…