The cause of death was not immediately determined, but was most likely either a stroke or heart failure, according to people close to the situation. Purcell had suffered some health problems in recent years, but had appeared to be improving. "He had gained some weight back, and was upbeat about his new projects," said his friend and colleague Chuck Ainley in a telephone…
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All of us at Stereophile were saddened to learn of the death of mastering engineer Denny Purcell, whose body was found Thursday, August 22 in the offices of his Georgetown Masters studio in Nashville. He was 51.
Online readers rejoice: Stereophile is posting the first of what we hope will be many equipment reviews in our Archives database. First up is the Linn Sondek CD12 CD player (recently reviewed in Stereophile), along with a review of the Linn AV 51 System (from the February 1999 issue of Stereophile Guide to Home Theater).
John Atkinson lays out the basics of why cables do sound different from one another in "Wired!": "Some, none, or all of these factors may play a role in cable 'sound.' What I don't understand is why responsible engineers would dismiss any of them out of hand."
And as…
Back in November of 2000, Kalman Rubinson took on the McCormack DNA-225 power amplifier, following the rebirth of the company that he had so admired. "McCormack is still the guiding spirit behind these new models, which incorporate aspects of the original designs, much of the SMc upgrades, and some new wrinkles. I quickly put in my bid for a test sample of the DNA-225." His analysis awaits.
Larry Greenhill goes surround sound! For his review of the Bryston 9B-THX five-channel power amplifier, LG explains, "Like other middle-aged American males, I have reinvented myself. I have shed my…
The audio business has been claiming its share of victims lately, with few companies able to reanimate once economic problems set in. Working hard to break this cycle, Carver Corp. became one of the first manufacturers to switch from a dealer-based operation to both dealers and internet sales.
"Internet and direct marketing sales have exceeded expectations. Sales on the Internet and through telephone orders have occurred in all product categories with no advertising expense and with high gross margins," stated Raj Bhatia, Carver's new Chairman and interim CEO.
Bhatia went on to say…
When is a music sample not a sample but an actual product? Are those 30-second audio snippets used at online music-retailer websites and in stores considered samples and therefore covered under fair use copyright laws? These are some of the questions that the National Association of Recording Merchandisers are asking the copyright office as another battle heats up between the record labels (represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)) and the music retailers (represented by NARM).
In a letter sent to the RIAA last week, NARM is outlining its position with respect to…
It was 15 years ago this week that an enthusiastic John Atkinson was lured From London to Santa Fe to take the helm of Stereophile. As JA recounted back in 1986, "From London, England, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a pretty big jump, both geographically and culturally. From Hi-Fi News & Record Review to Stereophile, however, is a mere hop; the similarities overwhelm the differences."
Next we have Chip Stern examining the Philips SACD1000 SACD/DVD-Video player. Stern finds that even at $1999, the first SACD machine to provide six channels of sound as well as play standard video DVDs may…
We have followed at a distance the discussion over whether 60Hz/50Hz electromagnetic radiation from powerlines affects the health of people in close proximity, and in the November 1997 Stereophile (Vol.20 No.11, p.51), an "Industry Update" story by Barry Willis reported a connection with Alzheimer's Disease.
That there does seem to be a connection between low-frequency powerline radiation and the human immune system is reinforced by an item in the November 29 issue of Science News (Vol.152, p.342), which reports that the tumor-fighting ability of anti-oxidant hormones---melatonin and…
Late summer isn't typically a time when new audio products appear, but on August 29 we received two noteworthy announcements.
Houston, TX–based Threshold Audio, Inc. is now shipping its new STASIS-R 3.0 preamp.
Priced at $3000, including remote control, the 3.0 is the lowest-priced fully balanced preamplifier to be introduced by Threshold in over a decade, according to company vice president Kevin Lee. "The 3.0 is actually less expensive than the famous Threshold FET-10He preamplifier, which for many years was rated as a top-class preamplifier—yet the 3.0 goes far beyond the FET-10…
The EE Times is reporting that the DVD Forum is getting close to finalizing a specification that would allow audio signals to be available via digital outputs on DVD-Audio players. Audiophile frustration with the new DVD-A format has mounted in the months since its introduction, with lack of access to a high-resolution digital signal from players, which currently have analog-only outputs, and the possibility of watermarked discs.
Concerns regarding copy-protection have slowed the DVD-Audio rollout considerably and are at the root of the decision to not include high-resolution digital…
Julian Hirsch, the man who personified the state of audio criticism for nearly half a century, died on November 24 after a long illness.
Mr. Hirsch was literally present at the creation of the audio industry, which was far from industrial when he first encountered it in the late 1940s. He had received a B.E.E from the Cooper Union in 1943 and served as an officer in the Army Signal Corps. After mustering out of the service, Mr. Hirsch developed laboratory instruments for the developing field of spectral analysis.
He had become entranced by amateur radio at the age of 14 and naturally…