Stereovox's Totally Tubular Cables
Stereovoxhttp://www.stereovox.com">Stereovox; has introduced a more affordable Studio series of cables to complement its extravagant Reference products. (John Marks raved about them herehttp://www.stereophile.com/thefifthelement/742/index2.html">here;.) The new Studio HDSE (high-definition single-ended) interconnects are thin and flexible, but each cable is constructed from a single high-purity 0.008" thick copper tube, clad in a silver-plated copper woven shield, with pure tape-wrapped full-density PTFE Teflon dielectric and an FEP jacket. The Studio cables employ a new chrome-plated Xhadow™ Reference precision-machined RCA connector.
Steve Portocarrero, 1956-1999
Steve Portocarrero passed away Monday, June 7 from Lou Gehrig's Disease, or ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which he was diagnosed with two years ago.
Stones Announce Arena Tour; Tickets Go on Sale
Is stadium rock passé? The Rolling Stones, the world's greatest practitioners of large-venue concerts, have announced a tour of smaller arenas beginning January 25. The "No Security" tour---in support of the recently released Virgin Records album of the same name---will take the band through 25 North American cities.
Storms, Energy Crisis Threaten Electronics
Electronic equipment worth millions of dollars is damaged every year by lightning strikes and power outages caused by summer storms. These seasonal threats have been amplified by the possibility of rotating blackouts, as well as resulting recent policy changes by major utility companies.
Stranger Than Fiction Department . . .
From Music">http://www.QRSMusic.com">Music Technologies, Inc. comes the announcement that the Virtuoso Violin, the world's first computer-controlled violin, debuted last week in Menlo Park, California.
Streaming Audio Goes Legit
Will the official online music gates finally stream open and flood us with non-pirated tunes? Perhaps. One important step in the process has finally been taken. The National">http://www.nmpa.org">National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), and the Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced last week that they have come to a "breakthrough" agreement on the licensing of musical works for new subscription services on the Internet.
Stuck in the Seventies
Last week's online">http://www.stereophile.com/vote.shtml">online poll indicates that many Stereophile readers have an ongoing affinity for the retro design style of older audio gear. Several respondents say they find the warm glow of tubes and backlit displays seductively attractive in a darkened room, while others pine for the days of analog dials and softly lit meters with gently bouncing needles.
Students Cave to RIAA
Students are often described as people with more time than money. For four accused by the recording industry of being "nodes" for file sharing, the lack of money will almost certainly extend well beyond graduation day.
Study Predicts $42.8 Billion Music Market by 2005
The global market for music could reach $42.8 billion within five years—more than $7.5 billion higher than the present level, according to a recent study by PriceWaterhouseCoopershttp://www.pwcglobal.com/">PriceWaterhouseCoopers; and Wilkofsky">http://www.wilkofskygruen.com/">Wilkofsky Gruen Associates. In the about-to-be-released study, The Global Entertainment & Media Outlook: 2000–2004, the firms make their prediction based on buying patterns and other economic factors in several regions of the world.
Study: Filesharing Shows No Slowdown
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">http://www.jmm.com">Jupiter Media Metrix Inc.