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Added to the Archives This Week

Robert Harley analyzed the $1995 McCormack Power Drive DNA-1 power amplifier back in 1992. His goal? To determine if this product "would be a high-end amplifier for Everyman." Reprint includes Kal Rubinson's Y2K experience with the SMc mods for the DNA-1.

How about a McCormack preamp to go with the DNA-1? John Atkinson listens intently to the McCormack Line Drive TLC-1 preamplifier, noting, "Finding a truly great, full-function preamplifier is a quest at which I have had only limited success." Is the TLC-1 JA's Holy Preamp Grail?

As a companion to our pair of McCormack reviews, we…

Added to the Archives This Week

In his recent review of the Thiel CS1.6 loudspeaker, John Atkinson pointed out that while expensive speakers "do indeed provide great sound for the tens of thousands of dollars they demand from their owners, they are out of reach of the majority of audiophiles." Ever the populist, JA tackles this reasonably priced Thiel to see how it measures up to the big boys.

Robert J. Reina admits he "had mixed feelings about reviewing the $189/pair" Paradigm Atom v.3 loudspeaker. After all, notes RJR, "I'm not impressed with $200/pair speakers that sound like $400/pair models with attenuated bass…

RIAA Clearing Music Scalawags from the Decks

The latest music-piracy statistics have just been released by the RIAA, bringing to light several new wrinkles in the ongoing struggle to protect the owners of music copyrights from those who illegally copy and sell protected works. Released August 21, the report details the new problems brought about by CD-R technology and MP3 files distributed via the web.

According to the report, the first six months of 1998 have seen law enforcement confiscate an "extraordinary" number of unauthorized CD-Rs compared to the same period last year. With the advent of new and inexpensive CD-R hardware and…

Industry News Roundup

Music sales in the US continue to decline, according to a May 8 report from the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM). Retails sales totaled $8.93 billion in 2002, down from the $10.46 billion reported for 2000. Most (87%) of the organization's members reported a drop in music sales last year—only 13% posted higher totals.

Last year, music retailers actually sold more audio/video hardware, a total of $10.04 billion, than they did music. They also sold $3.04 billion worth of books and magazines, $2.69 billion worth of DVDs, $1.76 billion worth of video games and $988…

Using the CD Carrot

Record companies are having a tough time making new friends these days as they toy with ways to restrict consumer use and distribution of their products. Amid sliding sales, mediocre new releases, high prices, and failed attempts at implementing restricted-use CD technology, the big labels clearly need some advice on getting back on track.

Consulting company Jupiter Media Metrix's analysts recently put on their thinking caps to develop a set of recommendations aimed at furthering consumers' acceptance of restricted-use CDs. The company is suggesting that record labels should experiment…

FTC Ruling Against Major Labels Sparks Class-Action Suits

The gold rush is on in the wake of a Federal Trade Commission decision effectively ending the music industry's policy of minimum advertised pricing (MAP) on compact discs. Attorneys in California and New York wasted no time in filing class-action lawsuits against the music industry's major conglomerates, following the FTC's announcement May 10 that it had reached a negotiated settlement with them over a longstanding noncompetitive pricing policy.

The first legal action against the music giants occurred Tuesday, May 12, when plaintiff Michael Bauman filed suit against the major labels in…

Revenge of the Chips

On Monday, June 6, at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Steve Jobs revealed that Apple would switch from its IBM-sourced PowerPC chip to Intel's Pentium D processor beginning in the latter half of 2006. Industry analysts began dissecting this move several days before the announcement in a series of "will they/won't they" articles every bit as breathless as those announcing the splits between Ben Affleck and J-Lo or Brad and Jennifer.

June 6 removed all doubts: They will. That doesn't answer the big question of how come?, however. Apple claims that it all comes down…

Pirates Under Pressure Around the World

Last week, the US Secret Service reported that, assisted by the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) New York Anti-Piracy Unit, it had executed two search and seizure warrants in Queens and Manhattan, resulting in what the agency called "the break-up of a massive counterfeit music operation." The Secret Service reported that approximately 20,000 recorded CD-Rs and 1200 masters were seized from the Queens and Manhattan locations.

According to the agency, equipment seized from the Queens location included one hundred two 8X-speed CD-R burners, nine computer monitors, four…

Claims and Counterclaims in SDMI Hack Challenge

A group of researchers has claimed success at cracking four digital audio watermarking technologies presented in a challenge by the Secure Digital Music Initiative in September. The claim has been denied by David Leibowitz, chairman of Verance Corporation, creator of one of the challenged watermarks. SDMI has made no public statement on the claim, and has resolved to remain silent until all 447 submitted hacks are evaluated.

Despite SDMI's reticence, several news stories have popped up supporting the contentions of computer scientist Edward Felten and his associates at Princeton, Rice…

FBI Stamp of Audio Approval

While the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is working overtime to jail file traders, members of the US Congress are introducing bill after bill targeting with criminal prosecution the 60 million Americans engaged in Internet file sharing.

H.R. 2517, otherwise known as the "Piracy Deterrence and Education Act of 2003," was introduced last month by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) to enable the Federal Bureau of Investigation to deter all "unauthorized" home recording by consumers when obtained from the Internet.

The bill states that the director of the FBI shall "…