Good Guys Gone Bad
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">http://www.goodguys.com/canv.htm">liquidation sales.
Good Guys Take a Dive
The West Coast's Good">http://www.goodguys.com/">Good Guys aren't feeling so well. The 79-store chain reported a 31% drop in net earnings for the quarter ending December 31. Gross margins dropped to 23.4% of sales, as compared to 24.7% in the same period the previous year.
Good Vibrations
For years, we've seen attempts to disguise loudspeakers">http://www.audiocircuit.com/9041-esl-circuit/Commercial/Audio4-AU4/9041… as paintings. A pair of announcements last week highlights the ongoing drive within the consumer electronics industry to find new ways to hide speakers within other objects.
Goodbye & Hello
It was the summer of 2000. We had closed Stereophile's office in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the City Different in the Land of Enchantment, where the magazine had been headquartered since 1978, and moved lock, stock, and audio systems to New York City. Once I got to New York, I needed an editorial assistant. Stephen Mejias became that assistant in August 2000, at the age of 21.
Goodbye Radio?
According to a recent report from Arbitronhttp://www.arbitron.com">Arbitron; and Edison">http://www.edisonresearch.com">Edison Media Research (EMR), approximately nine million consumers who have ever listened to Internet audio said they would be willing to pay a small fee to listen to the one audio channel they listen to most online.
Got Music?
In other">http://www.stereophile.com/shownews.cgi?1758">other news this week, the music business is in a tailspin, and searching for ways to save itself. The National Association of Record Merchandisers (NARM) has just published its chairman's message, with several clues about what consumers may see from the industry in the coming months.
Gracenote's Growth
If you've ever hunted for a song title or a performer's name on the Internet, you've probably used CDDBhttp://www.cddb.com">CDDB;, the Compact Disc Database.
Grado Labs, Singapore's FreeSystems Announce Wireless Headphones
As almost all audiophiles have discovered, headphone cables just don't reach far enough. You want to lie on the sofa for a late night listen, but you find out the cable is about two feet short. You can rearrange your room, buy a cable extender—or go wireless. That's what Gradohttp://www.gradolabs.com/">Grado; is inviting you to do with the FreeSystems Grado Digital Headphone System.
Graham Audio Launches the BBC LS5/5 in Montreal
BBC LS5/5? I'd never heard of it until it was announced on my Facebook feed that the LS5/5 was Graham Audio's new flagship speaker—so new, in fact, that there were only two pairs in existence. One of them would be showcased that evening in a Montreal audio shop, Art et Son, for the model's official North American launch.
Graham Audio Launches the LS5/9f at Gig Harbor Audio
It’s a keeper. Those are the thoughts that stuck with me after listening to the British-made Graham Audio LS5/9f ($7999/pair), a two-way reflex loading loudspeaker that had its US launch at Washington state’s Gig Harbor Audio on Saturday afternoon, May 25.