It's been five years since I've had the time and space for this feature. I can't hope to catch up with all that's happened since, but in reviewing surround gear for "Music in the Round" I've used and mentioned the most notable surround recordings as references, and reviewed the recordings themselves in "Records to Die For." When the last installment of "Recordings in the Round" was published, we were still dealing mostly with SACDs and the very first Blu-ray Audio discs. I now prefer to download files, but most surround downloads are also available as…
search
Sidebar 2: Contact Info
SOtM, 202 (Ssangyong-Dong), 84-9, Wolbong 4-ro, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, 31171 Korea. Tel: (82) 41-576-7663. Fax: (82) 41-576-7664. Web: www.sotm-audio.com. US distributor: Simple Design LLC (Sonore). Web: www.sotm.sonore.us.
Highend-AudioPC, Switzerland. Web: www.highend-audiopc.com
Primephonic, a Netherlands-based site that prides itself on its superior classical music metadata, has launched in the United States. Currently devoted to hi-rez classical downloads in WAV (stereo), FLAC (stereo/surround), and DSD (stereo/surround), Primephonic (which attempts to stand out from the crowd by not capitalizing the "p" in "primephonic") also intends to launch the beta version of its high-quality streaming service later this year.
Primephonic.com has positioned itself to compete with the independent HDTracks.com, which offers Red-Book and hi-rez downloads, as well as physical…
Apple is reportedly in exploratory talks to acquire Tidal. Though it's possible that nothing could come of this, and much of the online chatter surrounding this news is processed, regurgitated press release—I'd like to contribute to the speculation by sharing my thoughts.
I think it's exactly what the world needs. It would be an intelligent move on Apple's part that would simultaneously benefit listeners, musicians—and of course, boost the high-end audio industry.
Here's how it happens: Apple acquires Tidal. As in, either 1) Apple Music swallows Tidal, adds a high-resolution, top…
The three-day Capital Audiofest runs July 8–10 at the Hilton Hotel at Twinbrook Metro in Rockville, MD. With new, noon–8 pm opening-day hours designed to accommodate 9-5ers eager to top off their Friday with great sound, and completely renovated rooms that should offer even better acoustics than before, the at-capacity show promises 38 exhibit rooms (including 14 large rooms and one two-room suite), and a combined Marketplace/CanMania with 20 exhibitors total. Put that all together, and you end up with 103 exhibitors and brands combined.
Capital Audiofest has certainly evolved with the…
There's a race on between Sony and Matsushita, to determine who can build the smallest battery-operated CD player with the most features. Sony currently holds the lead with its second-generation D-7 ($300), about 30% smaller than the first "pocket" CD, the D-5. Most of the reduction is in height; both players have a horizontal cross-section only slightly larger than the CD itself. The illusion of smallness is further enhanced by an angled front panel with beveled edges.
Several features have been added, most notably the ability to program up to 16 tracks, in any sequence. Despite AHC's…
Sam Tellig wrote about the Sony D-7S in 1986 (Vol.9 No.7):
It was Euphonic Technology's Michael Goldfield who put me on to the Sony D-7S Discman. "The sound isn't state-of- the-art," he said, "and it's not a candidate for mods. But you'll love it." He was right.
This is the nicest toy I have had since I got my first English bicycle. One of the greatest pleasures is showing it off in front of teenagers, who turn green with envy. Adults, too. Everyone who sees it, and listens, says they want to go out and buy one. And so far, a dozen of my friends and acquaintances have.
…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Portable "Discman" player (CD equivalent of Walkman tape player). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz +1/–3dB. THD: 0.008%. Dynamic range: 90dB at 1kHz. Outputs: line 1.6V RMS into 10k ohms; headphone 30mW/ch into 32 ohms. Power source: 9V adaptor (supplied), 6V lead-acid battery pack (supplied), 8 AA cells in battery case (optional), or car battery cord (optional). Supplied accessories: carrying case, shoulder strap, signal cable (stereo mini to two RCA phono); headphones not supplied.
Dimensions: 1.25" (31.5mm) by 5" (127mm) by 5.25" (132.5mm) (…
Editor's Note: In the 21st Century, lossy audio data compression, in the form of MP3 and AAC files, Dolby Digital and DTS-encoded soundtracks, and YouTube and Spotify streaming, is ubiquitous. But audiophiles were first exposed to the subject a quarter-century ago, when Philips launched its ill-fated DCC cassette format. What follows is Stereophile's complete coverage on both DCC and its PASC lossy-compression encoding from our April 1991 issue.—John Atkinson
Peter W. Mitchell: The public debut of Philips's digital compact cassette (DCC) was the biggest event at the 1991 CES in Las Vegas…
Barry Fox interviews the principals at Philips on DCC
Since taking over reins and reign at Philips, Jan Timmer (previously head of PolyGram, then head of Philips's Consumer Electronics Division) has given no personal interviews. The only exception was for the official magazine of the MIDEM music industry conference held in January at Cannes, in the South of France.
It would have been hard for Timmer to refuse the MIDEM organizers' request. This year was the 25th anniversary of the event, where record companies, music publishers, distributors, and music-industry trade bodies meet…