Now billing itself as "The Source for Classical Music™," the online retailer posted a record 30% growth in 2007 sales over 2006, including more than $1 million in sales in December alone. That may seem like small change to the pop industry, but you can be sure it's jump-started the hearts of classical executives at the four major…
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You thought the only new articles about CDs you'd be reading would be about further declines in sales? Well, it turns out that ArkivMusic, the country's leading website for new and formerly out-of-print classical recordings, posted, um, record sales last year.
On February 5, This Week in Consumer Electronics announced that Polk Audio had announced plans to sell its I-Sonic ES2 iPod docking tabletop hi-fi ($499) and miDock Studio portable iPod speaker through the Apple website and freestanding store network. This came less than a week after Polk announced that Best Buy would carry its TSi loudspeakers, PSW powered subwoofers, select RM series drive-units and, of course, the SurroundBar 360 DVD Theater (all of which are currently available from the rival Circuit City chain).
What does this mean? Regarding the deal with Apple, it means that the…
Logitech's Squeezebox Network Systems has added a new model, the Duet, which adds a 2.4" color-LCD screen and a scroll-wheel to the unit's hand-held remote (not unlike the Sonos system). The screen can display song titles, album art, customized wallpapers—even RSS feeds and radio station IDs.
The $399 Duet comes in two parts, the receiver and the remote/charging cradle—additional units are available separately (receiver: $150 remote: $300). As with Logitech's Squeezebox and Transporter, the Duet works with the digital files stored on a host computer and interfaces with most computer…
Don Bouchard, Ultralink/XLO Products' executive vice-president, succumbed February 7, 2008 from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident on December 15, 2007. Bouchard, riding with friends, had his front wheel drop into a hole in the pavement while traversing a railroad crossing and was thrown over his handlebars. The resulting injuries included a severe skull fracture, right-brain trauma, a broken clavicle, a broken rib, which punctured a lung, as well as internal trauma, multiple contusions, and bruising.
While the injuries were massive, Bouchard clung to life with tenacity,…
Earlier this month, we reported that iPod Classic owners were experiencing hiss and DC offset problems when they updated their firmware to v1.1 from v1.03.
Responding to our request for more data, Head-Fi Forum member "Nine" passed along some measurements that showed both a 500mV steady-state DC output, as well as a sporadic pulse signal. He wrote, "My theory on this (mind you, this is only a theory) is that the 1.1 firmware is not properly powering down the DAC."
Apple has released a v1.1.1 version of its firmware, saying only that it includes "bug fixes." Members of various…
Sony has triumphed once again. The company that has until now held control of the dominant audio format, "Red Book" CD, and the dominant high-resolution audio format, SACD, will now dominate high-resolution video as well with its Blu-ray technology.
On Tuesday February 19, Toshiba announced that it will no longer develop, manufacture, or market HD DVD players and recorders. "We concluded that a swift decision would be best," Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida told the press at Toshiba's company office in Tokyo.
Nishida ascribed Toshiba's abdication to Warner Bros. Entertainment's…
Bentley Motors, the 89-year-old, Volkswagen-owned manufacturer of bespoke luxury automobiles has decided that a high-end audio system would complete its definition of automotive excellence, choosing Salisbury-based audio manufacturer Naim to develop a "Naim For Bentley" system.
Putting the money quote up front, Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, Bentley Motors' Chairman and CEO said, "Our customers expect the ultimate in every experience when they commission a Bentley. The 'Naim For Bentley' sound system delivers the world's ultimate in-car audio experience—allowing for 'as live' audio…
It starts quietly enough, with a simple falling-fifth motif, but the first movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff's neglected Piano Sonata 1 develops into a work of epic proportions nearly 40 minutes in length, with haunting melodies, massive dynamic contrasts, and lush, sensual harmonies.
Back in 1990, when Stereophile first recorded Canadian pianist Robert Silverman, the repertoire was Brahms. But during the sessions I told Robert that someday I'd like to record him performing the two Rachmaninoff sonatas. "I've already recorded the first sonata," he said. "It was released as a Marquis LP in…
The Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) aggressive campaign against its customers has most recently relied heavily upon the "making available" argument. The RIAA has argued that the act of making a recording available on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network was a crime, even if nobody actually linked to or downloaded the files. In October 2007, judge Michael J. Davis ruled in Capitol Records v. Thomas that the labels did not need to establish that the songs Ms. Thomas loaded to her KaZaa account were downloaded by others. Ms, Thomas was held liable for $220,000 in penalties.
Not…
The consumer and retail tracking NPD Group released the results of a study on how people acquired music in 2007. NPD's data show a marketplace undergoing transition—although, depending on who's parsing the numbers, that could be read either as great news or the end of the world as we know it.
NPD says that the "amount of music that consumers acquired in 2007" was up 10%, although it did not indicate if that figure reflected money spent on music, tracks, or complete recordings. The study said that legal music downloads increased by 10%, but that total CD sales declined by 10%—and since 10…