The move into MP3 is part of the company's larger strategy of embracing and promoting personalized entertainment. Products…
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The MP3 digital music format continues to gain momentum. Only two weeks ago, Thomson S.A., the international electronics conglomerate (parent of RCA and ProScan), announced a 20% investment in MusicMatch, Inc., the San Diego, California-based maker of management software for the upstart format. Last week Thomson took a further radical stance by announcing RCA's own MP3 player, the Lyra, to a gathering of more than 400 dealers at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.
Evolutionary. That's the word that comes to mind after strolling about the Alexis Park, home of Specialty Audio exhibits at the 2001 Consumer Electronics Show. The revolutionary stuff usually makes its debut at the Las Vegas Convention Center; here, in the high-end halls, we find manufacturers and designers more interested in perfecting existing technology.
Nagra, for example, has reconfigured its acclaimed PL-P phono preamp as a line stage called the PL-L, using what appears to be the same chassis as the PL-P. At $6800 retail, the PL-L features one pair of balanced inputs, three pairs…
As I walked through the corridors of HE2005, I kept hearing audiophiles asking one another, "Have you heard Mark Levinson's demo yet?" Yes, that was Mark Levinson, the man, and the Burwen Bobcat was possibly the most discussed item at the Show.
"One of the problems I had as a high-end manufacturer," Mr. Levinson told me, "was that, with the exception of records and a few well-recorded SACDs, most music people listen to sounds bad. Part of the problem is obviously low-resolution sources, such as 128kbps MP3s, but it's a bigger problem than that. It has to do with the recording spaces, the…
Napster may be down for the count, but its millions of former members are happily swapping audio files elsewhere, according to an October 10 report from technology research firm Jupiter Media Metrix Inc.
The use of services such as Kazaa, Grokster, and Morpheus has risen by almost 500% since March, the report states. In August, a total of 6.9 million people used the services, while those using Napster dropped to 5.5 million, a decline of 49%. Morpheus is the rising king of the Internet underworld, with 2.3 million users in August, an increase of 186% since June. : Kazaa Media Desktop…
Back when DVD players were first released in the US, Classic Records was among the first companies to exploit the fact that early machines, though intended for the video enthusiast, could play a 24-bit/96kHz audio recording as well as movies (see previous story). These early high-resolution discs, which Classic called DADs, were intended to hold us over until DVD-Audio (then thought to be just around the corner) would finally hit the market. More than two years later we're still waiting for DVD-A, but Classic intends to be ready when it finally appears.
Working with recordings of the…
After months of wrangling, the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) has selected Aris Technologies' MusiCode as its recommended form of digital audio copy protection, according to an inside source at SDMI. The decision came at the end of weeks of testing various watermarking techniques on the music industry's "golden ears"—recording and mastering engineers, music producers, and professional audiophiles. The official announcement is expected later this week.
Aris describes its technique as "a simple and accurate way to identify, monitor, and in some cases, control the use of musical…
Wes Phillips slips into his well-worn flame-proof underwear as he bravely introduces audiophiles to the musical merits of the Apple iPod. WP finds he likes living at the edge of audio trendiness, exclaiming, "Holy cow! I'm running with the fashionistas! Can I still be an audiophile, too?"
Starting in 2001, Michael Fremer began listening to the Manley Labs Steelhead phono preamplifier, noting, "The Steelhead is the most flexible, user-friendly phono section I've ever encountered." Both MF and Paul Bolin file Follow-Ups comparing the Steelhead with a variety of competitors.
Lonnie…
From the March 2004 issue, Michael Fremer goes a couple rounds with the Theta Digital Enterprise monoblock power amplifier, exclaiming, "Monoblock power amplifiers seem to be moving in and out of my listening room faster than green-onion salsa from Chi-Chi's." So how does the Theta stand up to the competition? MF lays it out.
Next, from the same issue, Paul Bolin fires up the Hovland Radia power amplifier, noting, "For better or for worse, appearances can make a profound first impression." But it's the sonic impression that counts, and PB does some digging to sort out the Radia's pluses…
Writer Robert Deutsch takes an in-depth look at the Hales Design Group Revelation Three loudspeaker in an attempt to determine whether the product lives up to its name. He also checks into the manufacturer's claim that "what we made will forever change the world of dynamic loudspeakers . . . an instant classic, a benchmark against which others of its type are measured."
As a bonus to go with the Hales Revelation Three review, we present Robert Deutsch's interview with the speaker's chief designer and namesake in Paul Hales: A Passion for Speakers. Find out why the fantasy kingdom of…
Back in June, we reported on the BBC's "The Beethoven Experience", described as "a bold experiment in whether or not free music stimulates legitimate music sales or suppresses them." Last week, The Independent published a terse 200-word article, reporting that the Beeb had downloaded one million files during the Experience, and stating "The initiative has infuriated the bosses of leading classical record companies, who argue the offer undermines the value of music and that any further offers would be unfair competition."
At Corante, Wendy Seltzer dismisses that notion. "If few people want…