Musicians who have done studio work in the US or Canada can benefit from the "Sound Recording Special Payments Fund," a fund that has paid out almost $15 million to date, according…
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People are often unaware that they might benefit from industry- or union-sponsored funds or participate in class-action settlements. In early January, we were notified of a fund for session musicians with over $3 million still unclaimed, and of a procedure enabling consumers to collect a small share of the payout from the "MAP" (minimum advertised price) lawsuit that was settled by the music industry last year.
Our first article this week is Space . . . the Final Frontier, in which J. Gordon Holt explains both why he feels the High End should abandon two-channel stereo, and why it is misguided in its choice of loudspeakers for stereo reproduction.
Next, John Atkinson says he scoured his bookshelves to come up with the must-have reading list for any audiophile. See the results in Holiday Reading.
Frank Zappa created a bounteous output of music during his career. For those not sure where to start, we present Richard Lehnert's series of reviews of several dozen Zappa releases in Frank…
Satellite radio services appear to be gaining sufficient market momentum to get them over the startup hump.
On May 14, Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. posted its first quarterly net profit, thanks to a sharp rise in subscriptions and a life-saving deal that converted most of the company's debt to shareholder equity. Sirius reported net income of $140.1 million, compared with a net loss of $78.9 million for the same period a year ago. Those clever accountants: The "profit" was partly due to accounting sleight-of-hand that counted $256.5 million of the company's recapitalized debt as a gain.…
Branford Marsalis is unhappy with the music industry. Unlike many of his colleagues, he intends to do something about it.
In mid-February, the jazz saxophonist and music educator announced his participation in the launch of a new independent record label, Marsalis Music. Based in Cambridge, MA, the new label is a joint venture with his father, pianist Ellis Marsalis. The label's focus will be on creating music of substance and lasting value, rather than forgettable pop hits, the younger Marsalis stated. "The consolidation of the record industry into major conglomerates has turned the…
For the 13th consecutive year, Stereophile has recognized the components that have proved capable of giving maximal musical pleasure with its "Products of the Year." Based on a vote by the magazine's reviewers and editors, the 2004 winners were announced in the December 2004 issue and the awards were presented by Stereophile editor John Atkinson at last week's 2005 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The biggest winner was Linn Products, whose Linn Unidisk 1.1 multichannel universal player was our 2004 Digital Source Component, our 2004 Multichannel Music Component, and one of…
After the 2001 show's wildly successful run earlier this year, Home Entertainment 2002 is heading back again to the heart of New York City. HE2002 will take place May 30–June 2, 2002 at the Hilton New York.
Co-sponsored by Stereophile, Home Theater, and Stereophile Guide to Home Theater magazines, Home Entertainment 2002 (formerly the Hi-Fi Show) is a unique hands-on weekend extravaganza aimed at industry veterans and consumers alike, where you will see and hear the latest and best in home theater and high-performance audio. HE2002 promises to have on display the biggest and most…
One of the visual highlights of the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show and HE 2003 in San Francisco was the Penaudio speakers, sporting a unique sliced-wood veneer wrapped around diminutive two-way designs. While the speakers were easy on the eyes, it wasn't so easy to find a pair to audition in the US.
That problem was solved last week as Penaudio, based in Finland, announced that it had appointed Portal Audio as the company's official US importer/distributor. Portal's Joe Abrams says he is currently designating authorized Penaudio retailers around the country. Penaudio was founded in 1999 by…
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) officially opened today, Tuesday, and the SACD press conference put together by Sony and Philips started the day. Sony's Shizuo Takashino opened the presentation by explaining the three-phase rollout for the high-resolution format. Phases one and two, represented by the release of high-end and multi-disc SACD players, are now complete he said, with phase three launching at the show. As Takashino said, "This year is the true beginning of the mass-marketing of SACD."
Current hardware manufacturers for SACD now include Marantz, Classé, Accuphase, Pioneer…
Hundreds of manufacturers will be demonstrating state-of-the-art audio products at HI-FI '98---some of which have never before been seen by the public. Here is the last installment of announcements:
Dunlavy Audio Labs
Dunlavy will launch the SC-IV/A loudspeaker, furthering the tradition of excellence established with their much-acclaimed SC-IV. The speaker's improved dynamic range offers amazing visceral impact, and increased linearity translates to improved soundstaging, imaging, and musicality. A newly designed first-order crossover ensures total phase coherence, accuracy, and…
Satellite radio is poised to become a dominant force in the 21st century. Both XM Radio and Sirius Radio are now in full operation, with subscriptions booming and compatible electronics available at dealers nationwide.
On July 23, XM announced some major refinements to its 100-channel lineup, with new music and entertainment programs taking effect August 3. Among XM's new musical offerings will be channels for neo-soul, folk music, and easy listening. Non-musical entertainment will include audio books and dramas, and rebroadcasts of old-time radio dramas.
XM's new programming…