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…
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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."
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…
It's cheating to say that the best sound I've heard at the English Show was at Martin Colloms' house on Saturday night---cheating the same way it is when someone asks that question and I (or some other reviewer) piously responds that some live music event ranks above any exhibitor. Martin, of course, has an advantage over anyone at the Show. He set up his own listening room and had all the time he needed to boot. Even so, his system, consisting of a Krell KRS-25 and FPB 650Ms and Wilson Audio WITT IIs, was astoundingly fast, rhythmic, and dynamic.
Martin wrote the book on pace, rhythm,…
As anyone who reads this website is all too aware, these days legislative matters increasingly encroach upon audiophiles' ability to experience uncompromised high fidelity. Like it or not, political decisions can and do have an impact on what we listen to and how we are able to manipulate our music after we have purchased it.
One organization that John Atkinson, Jon Iverson, and I have come to rely upon—both for information and for fighting the good fight—is the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), with its senior staff attorney on fair-use and intellectual property issues, Fred von…
The digital audio genie was released two decades ago, before the music industry imagined any need to restrict how music files on a compact disc might be used. The last few years, however, have seen myriad attempts to redesign the digital audio bottle, and then shove the genie back in—with limited success.
The latest in a string of CD restriction technologies from SunnComm was announced last week when the company revealed that its upcoming version of MediaMax, Version 5, will include what it calls "on-the-fly" DRM (digital rights management) encoding.
SunnComm claims that by encoding…
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 loosened many long-established constraints on the ownership and operation of radio and television stations in the United States. The regulatory changes launched waves of mergers and acquisitions through the nation's broadcasting industry, consolidating what had been many regional companies into a few large conglomerates in just a few years. Backed by vice president Al Gore and the then chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), William Kennard, the changes were intended to make the broadcasting industry more responsive to the "free market."…
This probably won't seem like rocket science to most audiophiles, but it should be taken to heart by everyone in the highly competitive world of consumer electronics. A new study reveals that for consumers, customer support is nearly as important as the product itself. According to the results of the "Customer Support Issues" study, released last week by eBrain Market Research in cooperation with the Consumer Electronics Association, rebate offers, warranties and availability of support resources are the key customer support issues for consumers.
The report, free to CEA member companies,…
Briefly gone but not forgotten, Wadia Digital will return as a division of Audio Video Research, Inc. (AVR) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a new company formed in December, 2000 by combining the assets of Wadia and Digital Imaging Corporation. Wadia products, including the 861 and 831 CD players and 27ix processor, will be shown at CES in January, 2001.
One of Wadia's first new offerings will be a "significant upgrade" for the 27ix (a Stereophile "Recommended Component"), according to company president and CEO Jim Anderson. Wadia's distribution network is intact, and warranties on all Wadia…