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…
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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."
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…
Andy Warhol's famous dictum—that eventually, everyone will enjoy 15 minutes of fame—could apply equally to Internet startups.
By the "15 minutes" standard, Napster has enjoyed nine lives. Not that long ago, the music file-sharing service was front-page news almost every day of the week. Castigated by the entertainment industry as a harbinger of new distribution models that threatened the very foundations of market capitalism, Napster has been under continuous legal attack for almost two years.
The agonizingly slow litigation process has eroded the startup's celebrity and diminished…
There is practically nothing that has set high-end audio on its collective ear like the article Jonathan Scull wrote back in 1994 on room-tuning devices from Shun Mook. Not only did some readers dog-pile J-10, but two other Stereophile writers, Barry Willis and Sam Tellig, decided to take on the challenge. Required reading for anyone who wants to know more about The Shun Mook Affair.
Just one year ago, Stereophile published Martin Colloms' overview of negative-feedback technology in audio amplifier design. We've also included follow-up letters from several readers and notable amplifier…
Our first article this week is Illusions, Riddles, & Toys, in which Barry Willis explains what Zeno's paradox has to do with audio nirvana. "We audiofools face just such a riddle in our relentless pursuit of musical realism. I can hear you now: No, say it isn't so. Surely our technology is equal to the task. I'm sorry to tell you that it isn't, and probably never will be."
Next, Stew Glick advises audiophiles not to listen to their systems for a week in As Easy as ABC. Read the article and find out why it may be the solution to your audio problems.
Overwhelmed by the sheer…
It's been a busy week for Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) pioneers Lucent Digital Radio. (See previous report.) The company has announced that a new entity, Lucent Digital Radio, Inc., has been created as a result of an investment by Pequot Capital Management. The new company will be owned by Pequot Capital investors and Lucent Technologies, which will hold a majority ownership stake. Lucent says it will continue to support the new venture and provide ongoing access to research from the company's Bell Labs research and development unit.
On the eve of the financing announcement, LDR also…
Billy Joel has decided to clean out his warehouse. Next month, the veteran rocker's almost-30-year-old collection of musical instruments, recording equipment, and stage gear will be put up for public auction by Sony Signatures, his merchandising company. A portion of the gross from the "Billy Joel Memorabilia Auction" will be donated to VH1's Save the Music Foundation, according to Dan Cooper, Senior Vice President of Sony Signatures' music division.
Among the goodies to be sold is a Mini Moog synthesizer originally purchased by Joel back in 1971, when he was known as Billy Martin. The…