For one thing, CES's exhibits of what it now calls "high-performance audio" (HPA) have grown. In 2007, when CES first moved HPA exhibitors out of the Alexis Park Hotel and into the Sands/Venetian Convention Center and Hotel…
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Given the state of the economy, speculation abounds concerning major declines in the numbers of exhibitors and attendees at this year's audio/video shows in Las Vegas. If the advance numbers can be trusted, however, that will be anything but the case this January 8–11, when the high-end audio exhibits of both the Consumer Electronics Show and T.H.E. Show will be open.
As reported on this website on December 9, Joseph Cohen of the Lotus Group, exclusive distributor of Oyaide products in North America, discovered that Chris Johnson of Parts ConneXion was selling counterfeit Oyaide AC plugs at regular Oyaide prices. Given that Johnson had previously signed a contract with the Lotus Group to distribute genuine Oyaide plugs, Cohen immediately attempted to reach Johnson to resolve the matter.
Unfortunately, Johnson was unreachable, home in bed with a wicked cold. Concerned that the counterfeit AC devices might harm purchasers, Cohen then posted a strong…
Al Stiefel, 66, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, died suddenly and unexpectedly in Denver on January 27. His wife of 22 years, RMAF mainstay Marjorie Baumert, was at his side.
Al's contributions to the audiophile community were vast. He and fellow Colorado Audio Society member Ron Wellborne founded RMAF in 2004 as a labor of love. Intentionally limiting profit and charging below market rates in order to encourage participation, Al, Ron, Marjorie, Colorado Audio Society founder Art Tedeschi, and other members of the organization worked side by side to create an annual festival…
Three years ago, as the shift to downloadable media gathered momentum, Concord Music Group purchased Telarc International. The suspicion of those who then saw the handwriting on the wall were confirmed this past December, when a company-wide restructuring by CMG included the layoffs of 27 Telarc employees. Among those now on their own are the entire Telarc Production Department, as well as former classical publicist Amanda Sweet.
The good news for music lovers is that a major part of the famed Grammy-winning recording team responsible for the "Telarc Sound" over the last 20 years has…
It's a Vinyl World, After All: Michael Fremer's Guide to Record Cleaning, Storage, Handling, Collecting, & Manufacturing in the 21st Century
MF Productions mxangle3 (DVD). 2008. Michael Fremer, prod.; Joe Shelesky, Andre Kruger, Jeff Wilerth, dirs.; Joe Shelesky, editor. $30; available from Stereophile's secure e-commerce page.
MF Productions mxangle3 (DVD). 2008. Michael Fremer, prod.; Joe Shelesky, Andre Kruger, Jeff Wilerth, dirs.; Joe Shelesky, editor. $30; available from Stereophile's secure e-commerce page.
Michael Fremer comes walking down the long, vinyl-lined hall that leads to his cluttered listening room, a tall stack of compact discs balanced awkwardly in his arms. He looks up to find that we are there, too, waiting for him. Caught by surprise, he…
"It's time to turn down the lights: NHT is going quiet."
Thus began a February 23rd announcement from loudspeaker company NHT (Now Hear This) that it is temporarily closing its doors in order to revision its future.
Two weeks after informing its dealers, NHT, which is based in Benicia, California, spread the word in a simple, one-page letter that's high in spirits if low on details. Jovially titled "Going Fishin'," the message from company cofounder Chris Byrne, longtime employee John Johnsen, and "the entire NHT gang" explained that all remaining professional and consumer…
Two unusual download sites now offer high-resolution 24-bit files for audiophiles with a taste for adventure. The first, the UK's B&W Music Club, is a one-album-per-month subscription service that premieres complete, audiophile-quality albums in a wide variety of genres chosen and recorded by "curator" Peter Gabriel. The second, HifiTrack.com, is a Hong Kong-based site that offers Chinese and Asian traditional and pop music, Zen and meditation music, and Chinese-flavored Western pop, jazz, and classical.
"A lot of what we get to hear now is supercompressed," says Gabriel in the video…
Colorado high-end retailer ListenUp has three Music Matters events scheduled next week, one for each of their locations: Tuesday, May 5, in Colorado Springs—230 North Tejon Street, (719) 633-2600—Wednesday, May 6, in Denver—685 South Pearl Street, (303) 778-0780; Thursday, May 7, in Boulder—2034 Arapahoe Avenue, (303) 444-0479.
Billed as "three special evenings devoted to a celebration of recorded music," each Music Matters event will be highlighted by presentations from Stereophile editor John Atkinson and AudioQuest's Joe Harley. Other Music Matters participants will include: Steve…
Koetsu USA, the US distributor for the $15,000 Koetsu Coralstone Platinum Mono reviewed by Michael Fremer in our May 2009 issue, has announced that several of its products will be demonstrated during a special "Audio Round-Up," hosted by Audio Limits in Colorado Springs. This free, two-day event takes place on Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, and is open to the public.
"Music fans will have a rare opportunity to listen to, examine, and enjoy some of the best audio components in today's market," said Audio Limits owner, Darrin O'Neill. "We'll be exhibiting a collection of exceptional…
Despite the recent affirmation by Stereophile's Kalman Rubinson that the Super Audio Compact Disc remains "the best available all-around physical medium for music" (May 2009, p.47), audiophiles in the US continue to declare it a dead format. Regardless, independent record producers such as Jared Sacks, founder and managing director of Holland's Channel Classics Records, continue to champion and promote SACD.
"I'm very much dedicated to SACD," the American-born Sacks told me by phone during a recent visit to the US. "There's nothing better in terms of downward compatibility [than a format…