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"Adapt or die" is the first law of economic Darwinism. It's a choice that many music retailers are beginning to face with the rising tide of alternative distribution channels. According to market research organization Jupiter Research, online music services will account for approximately 9% of all CDs sold this year, a 50% increase from 2000. Retailers, once the music industry's only sales interface with the buying public, are looking at what might be an increasingly marginalized future. Those who wish to stay in the game may become "affiliates" rather than independent distributors.
Rocky Mountain Audio High: The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest will be held at the Denver Marriott Tech Center Hotel (4900 South Syracuse; Denver, CO) from September 30 through October 2. In addition to over 70 demo rooms, there will be seminars and musical entertainment. Details and pre-registration can be found here.
Aperion's charitable contribution: Aperion Audio has established a program that will contribute $50 to hurricane relief efforts for every home-theater system it sells between now and October 31, 2005. The company has also pledged to send representatives to the area to help with…
Frequently a hot topic in the hallowed pages of Stereophile, DVD-Audio will be among the agenda items at the third US DVD Conference on October 1-2, 1998, in San Francisco. Presented by the DVD Forum, the international association working to develop universal DVD formats, the event will take place at the Grand Peninsula Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency SF Airport.
According to a Forum statement, "The two-day conference provides an excellent opportunity to explore the fast-extending scope of DVD and latest format developments. Among key items on the agenda will be the recent standardization…
Tempted to just cut'n'paste his earlier Arcam integrated amplifier review into his rundown of the Arcam FMJ CD23 CD player, Lonnie Brownell explains that, "after all, it's the same story: British manufacturer gives highly praised product a slick new case to entice those who find their Alpha line too downscale in appearance, adds a few internal tweaks to make it a bit more interesting, and kicks the price up by $400." Instead, he does the right thing in a complete review that even answers the vital question: Should this Arcam be your last CD player?
In his review of the Paradigm Reference…
Good Guys, the California A/V retailer that overextended itself in an aggressive build-up plan that maxed out at 71 stores, is not long for this world. CompUsa, which acquired the chain in 2003, closed six free-standing Good Guys stores and another five CompUSA/Good Guys megastores in late September. CompUSA will close the remaining 25 stores and three regional distribution centers within 80 days—following liquidation sales.
Good Guys was started in 1973 in Alameda, CA by Ron Unkefer, using, legend has it, a $5000 loan from a friend. Buoyed by a cash infusion after a public offering, the…
Editor's Note: A reader recently complained that we publish too many obituaries and remembrances on this website. "I don't need to be reminded of my own mortality and depressed at the same time by reading all these death notices," he wrote. "I'm a baby boomer and I don't want to read about baby boomers—not their work, [not] their deaths."
I cannot describe how offended I was by this man's complaint. The world of high-end audio is small. What audiophiles today take as a given in this world, even take for granted, has been the result of many years of intense effort by many talented people.…
Last week it was revealed that David Manley has resigned as president of Manley Laboratories and has assigned his total shares in the company to EveAnna Manley as part of an agreement signed June 10, 1999. EveAnna Manley has officially assumed the duties of president, CEO, and sole owner of Manley Laboratories, Inc. A press release states that David Manley is no longer associated or affiliated with Manley Laboratories, Inc., and that EveAnna Manley has been de facto operating CEO of the company since David Manley's departure in 1996.
The company, which claims to have grown 75% over the…
With new audio formats such as SACD and DVD-Audio hitting the market, audiophiles will soon have more choices than ever for playing back music. But along with all of these options comes the hard part: choosing which path to take and hoping not to be dead-ended, as Beta video owners were years back. For consumers, the promised universal audio players (expected to play DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, CD, and SACD) will reduce the risk significantly.
But for the record labels that supply us with music, the choices get complicated fast. Should they release discs in SACD or DVD-A format? Should they…
Throughout the history of the animal kingdom, sounds have always been full of meaning. They provide valuable information on the whereabouts of prey and predator, the location of family, the intentions of friend and foe. Sound cues have always been as important as information obtained by scent and sight.
Until the computer revolution, that is. Computers and their designers have mostly ignored sound's potential for conveying meaning. Until soundcards became widespread, the only sounds the typical computer could make were a few irritating chirps and beeps. Even after soundcards became…
John Atkinson gets his hands on "the very strange-looking" MBL 111B loudspeaker to determine how "upper-frequency drive-units resembling an array of orange segments" could possibly sound. As JA discovers, thinking different can sometimes be a plus.
"There's nothing particularly unusual or innovative about the Antares' design," comments Michael Fremer in his review of the Rockport Technologies Antares loudspeaker. But, with the speakers costing $41,500/pair, MF finds that the value is indeed in the detials.
Robert J. Reina takes the Athena Technologies AS-F2 loudspeaker out for a…