In response to the rise in internet sales, decline of retail dealerships in this country and abroad, and changes in the audiophile consumer base, company co-founder Chris Byrne and his partner John Johnsen have adopted a new marketing strategy. Consumers can now purchase NHT's pared-down product line from either independent dealers,…
search
NHT is back. Less than five months after the veteran speaker company, aka Now Hear This, declared that it would sell off remaining inventory, pay its bills, and spend time rethinking its future, it has regrouped and returned with a new marketing approach.
Blue Circle Audio, the Ontario-based company that has championed the use of "no frills" packaging and solar powered devices, recently issued the latest addition to its line of minimal cosmetics audiophile products. The BC301FY preamplifier, which looks nothing like other companies' products, dispenses with the standard aluminum or steel box, engraved logo, designer controls, and other cosmetic frills. Housed in nine ABS cans—a type of heavy-duty plastic commonly encountered in drainage and sewer piping—its packaging is said to reduce consumer cost by over 40%.
According to Gilbert Yeung,…
It is with immense sadness that I heard of Gordon's passing, in an announcement from his long-time friend, Bob O'Neill: "A few minutes after 12 noon mtn time, July 20, 2009, J. Gordon Holt passed away in his home in Boulder, Colorado. A memorial service will be held in a week or two. There will be, of course, martinis and the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams." According to his son Charles, Gordon had suffered a long fight with COPD/Emphysema and he died in his home with his family around him.
It was in 1962 that Gordon decided to start a magazine devoted to the then-revolutionary concept…
For 14 years, The Cable Company has been running its annual Summer Against Hunger campaign to raise money for those in need. As was the case last year, The Cable Company says they "are again able to guaranty that 100% of purchases of sponsored products in August will benefit CARE!"
When you purchase products from one of the participating sponsors during August, The Cable Company, it's sponsoring vendors, and other CARE donors will send an amount equal to your purchase to CARE. If you purchase non-sponsoring vendor products from The Cable Company (and UsedCable.com) and an amount equal to…
Tell the truth, now: When you're traveling on vacation, and supposedly engaged only in the normal tourist activities of seeing the sights, visiting museums, etc., aren't you also on the lookout for interesting audio stores?
I know I am, and my wife has learned to accept this as something that comes with being married to an audiophile. The most recent occurrence of this sort was a few weeks ago, as we were driving from Bangor, Maine, to Bar Harbor. While passing through Ellsworth (pop. 6456), I spotted what looked like an honest-to-goodness audio store. I just had to stop…
The Hovland Company is no more. Less than 10 full years after its incorporation, the manufacturer of highly coveted Hovland Musicap propylene-film and aluminum-foil capacitors and visually striking electronic components has dismissed its staff and closed the doors of its manufacturing facility and headquarters in Los Angeles.
Alex Crespi, vice-president of sales and marketing and one of Hovland's four original owners, confirmed by phone that Hovland Company was done in by a combination of low cash reserves and the extremely high cost of manufacturing its hand-built products.
"Our…
CEDIA Expo 2009 was off and running on Thursday September 10. The two large convention floors in Atlanta are packed with displays and products. The focus, of course, is on video, home theater, home integration and, even, centralized vacuum-cleaning systems. Of greatest interest to audiophiles remains the obvious: we all need loudspeakers! (Well, perhaps not the vacuum cleaner systems.) Unfortunately, the buzz on the floor precludes useful auditions and is so great that even the dedicated sound-rooms suffer from excessive noise. So, you will understand that good looks grab my attention…
Continuing from Day One's loudspeaker theme, there were several new speakers of some note to be seen and heard at the 2009 CEDIA Expo in Atlanta.
The bright yellow Fat Boy Mk.II globes ($799/pair), from the company that brought us the neat series of Fat Man tubed iPod docks and power amps, caught my gaze and would not release it. With its Kevlar-cone woofer and silk-dome tweeter, it comes standard in piano black but almost any color can be ordered up. I like this pair because they'd match my Meridian F80.
I first became acquainted with Berlin-based Adam Audio at…
Emerging technology was also a theme at this CEDIA, even apart from the various 3D video schemes. RoomEQ is, of course, not a new concept and Audyssey treated us to an introduction and demonstration of their new Subwoofer Equalizer that uses the AudysseyPro software and of DSX, their technology for adding additional channels (for width and height) to the standard 5.1 and 7.1 configurations. I have a Subwoofer Equalizer in house now and hope to report on it shortly. In addition, DSX has made its appearance in a new generation of preamp-processors (and AVRs) from Denon, Onkyo, and Integra, so…
To celebrate the release of jazz group Attention Screen's new Stereophile CD, Live at Otto's Shrunken Head, we are having a release party at New York's Otto's Shrunken Head Tiki Bar next Thursday from 7pm to 9pm. All are invited, admission is free, Attention Screen will be playing two sets, and the first 50 to arrive will get a free CD!
Otto's Shrunken Head is located at 538 E. 14th Street, Manhattan, between Avenues A and B.
If you've been to Otto's, you're probably wondering how 50 people will fit in the club—well, including both table seating and standing room there is plenty…