The unit incorporates processing for both DTS-Extended Surround and Dolby Digital DTS Surround 6.1 Matrix. Yamaha has added a pair of 35W front effects channels to the traditional surround array. Two subwoofer outputs…
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High-resolution digital audio got a big boost on March 2, when Yamaha Electronics Corporation announced the release of its new RX-V1, a multichannel receiver featuring Burr-Brown PCM 1704 24-bit/96kHz DACs for all 10 channels, including two subwoofer outputs. Six of the channels are full-range with amplifier power of 110W each, with claimed frequency response beyond 100kHz.
It's not just Katrina and Rita that have devastated the lives of musicians in the Gulf Coast area. The state of the economy, a decrease in services for the poor and marginally employed, the shorter attention span of those weaned on TV and computers, and an ever-increasing emphasis on image and effect over substance have all taken a huge toll on Gulf Coast musicians.
In addition to benefits scheduled with increasing frequency throughout the country, a host of organizations have stepped into the breach, providing emergency housing, food, medical care, instruments, employment, you name it for…
From the June 1999 issue, Jonathan Scull surveys the Pass Labs X1000 monoblock power amplifier. JS notes, "Pass Laboratories' X amplifier series represents the efforts of designer Nelson Pass to prove that simple linear amplifier topologies can be scaled to provide high-quality audio performance at very high power levels."
A few months later, Scull writes, "I suppose that most high-end designers dream about making a Statement Product." Finding that the Balanced Audio Technology VK-50SE line preamplifier is just such a product, he adds, "Victor Khomenko, majordomo of Balanced Audio…
On Friday, April 29, AP reported that Cheap Trick and the Allman Brothers Band were suing Sony Music over the record label's payment for music downloads through Napster and the iTunes Music Service.
The suit was filed in a New York federal court and concerns, among other issues, the distinction between music licenses and music sales. Sony has been paying the ABB and Cheap Trick according to the terms of their long-term contracts, which predate the downloading phenomenon. According to the AP, that means the label deducts costs such as packaging, restocking, and breakage, even though such…
The rumored economic recovery may not be simply spin and hype, if recent reports from the consumer electronics industry are any indication.
On January 28, Harman International Industries, Inc. announced record sales and earnings for its second fiscal quarter, ended December 31, 2003. The Washington, DC and Northridge, CA-based electronics firm posted a 24% increase in net sales for the quarter, a total of $691.6 million compared to $560.0 million during the same period last year. Net income was up more than twice that percentage—a 50% increase over the same period last year, $41.5 million…
James Bongiorno needs your help. The legendary electronics designer, whose pioneering work with fully complementary solid-state amplifiers has become part of engineering's standard lexicon, is battling liver cancer.
Among the many products attributed to him are the Dynaco Dyna 400; the SAE Mk.III CM; the Great American Sound Ampzilla and Ampzilla II; the GAS Thaedra preamp; and various Sumo products, including the Power, the Gold (the first high-power class-A amplifier), and the Andromeda. Bongiorno holds several patents, including one for class-A amplification and another for FM tuner…
Michael Fremer almost grasps upsampling when he looks into the dCS Verdi SACD transport, Purcell D/D converter, and Elgar Plus D/A converter. MF notes, "Explaining what you get for your $34k is somewhat easier than explaining upsampling, but due to the dCS gear's enormous flexibility and multitude of features, it's not that much easier."
What do Michael Jordan and Lamm audio components have in common? Paul Bolin explains in his review of the Lamm Industries M2.1 monoblock power amplifier. According to Bolin, "The world of audio is analogous to the world of sports," and Lamm possesses…
Record producer and Stereophile contributor John Marks has informed us that classical violinist Arturo Delmoni has agreed to throw his considerable talent behind the Audio Charity Auction, organized in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed more than 6000 people.
Delmoni will perform at the home of the winning bidder. The auction has been added to features on the charity site. Proceeds will go to the NYC Uniformed Firefighter's Association Widows' and Orphans' Fund; travel and expenses for Delmoni are not included in the prize. "…
MP3 players are going to hit the market in waves this fall, and manufacturers will be trying hard to make their products stand out from the pack. Several companies are bringing out combi MP3/CD portables, including consumer-electronics newcomer Pine Technology USA, of Fremont, California. Pine has long experience in the manufacture of motherboards, modems, and other computer components. The company is now shipping its $189 D'Music SM-320V MP3 portable. Its $219 model SM-320 includes an FM tuner. Both players have 32Mb of embedded solid-state memory and will accept a 32Mb SmartMedia card…
When Sony introduced the first Super Audio CD (SACD) player, the SCD-1 (see previous report and Jonathan Scull's forthcoming review in the November 1999 Stereophile), audiophiles who heard it were impressed with its performance, but wondered if its $5000 price tag would keep it out of the market for a while. Last week, Sony announced their second SACD player, the SCD-777ES, to appear in October at the slightly more wallet-friendly price of $3500.
According to Sony, the new player incorporates most of the key technologies and fundamental "pure audio" capabilities of what the company…