Wadia has been in the digital audio business just about as long as anyone, and says that its digital amplifier approach, known as the PowerDAC, was part of its original business plan from eight years ago. Peter Bohacek of Wadia says that "It was viewed…
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First with CD players, then digital preamps, and recently amplifiers, digital technology has ground inexorably through the audio chain. Several companies have been developing ways to shorten the analog path or remove it entirely. Meridian's "digital" loudspeakers come to mind, as well as the amplifiers from manufacturers Spectron and TacT.
The Sirius Satellite Radio constellation will soon be in position, thanks to the successful launch November 30 of Sirius-3, the third satellite in the Sirius system. The transponders are being arrayed in geosynchronous orbits above North America for maximum radio coverage, which will begin in 2001. The previous two satellites were launched last summer and in early autumn.
Within a few weeks, Sirius will begin beaming "CD-quality" digital radio signals to US motorists with satellite receivers installed in their vehicles. Eventually as many as 100 channels will be available for a monthly…
The fate of Hales Loudspeakers has been a subject of much concern and discussion among audiophiles since the shuttering of parent company Wadia Digital a few months ago. There is now considerable light at the end of the tunnel, as revealed by Hales founder L. Paul Hales in a telephone interview December 22.
Hales is now manager of loudspeaker research and development for professional audio manufacturer QSC. The Costa Mesa, CA-based company has acquired many of the assets of Hales Loudspeakers, among them designs, patents, and other intellectual property, including the right to the use of…
Paul Bolin exclaims, "Looking at the current digital scene is enough to confuse and confound just about anyone this side of Stephen Hawking." Bolin's review of the Ayre Acoustics D-1x DVD-Video/CD player is here to clear things up.
Sam Tellig gets a-hold of a Portal Audio Panache integrated amplifier, reporting that the 100Wpc Portal sells "directly to consumers, mainly by the Internet, and there are no North American dealers." But, as Tellig finds, there's no reason to hold that against it.
In his review of the pro Weiss Medea D/A processor, Kal Rubinson points out, "Some people…
Trying to get a grip on where the new high-end audio formats, DVD-Audio and SACD, might be going? A logical place to start might be to check with the factories getting ready to crank out the discs and see how the orders have so far stacked up. After conducting just such a survey, the International Recording Media Association (IRMA) released last week the first projections for next year's worldwide marketplace introduction of DVD-Audio and SACD.
IRMA reports that, according to a survey of replicators who will be prepared to fill the pipeline with DVD-Audio and SACD product in 2000, a total…
As the boundaries between audio, video, and information technologies continue to blur, so will the corporate boundaries between Sony Electronics' audio, video, and information-technology divisions. Last week, Sony announced the creation of a new organization that the company says integrates its A/V and IT companies into one overall "Consumer Electronics Group," or "CEG." Sony adds that the new structure combines the company's Consumer Products Marketing Group and its Personal Network Solutions Company into one organization. Fujio Nishida was named president of CEG; the new organization will…
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.
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…
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…