News

Software giant Microsoft">http://www.microsoft.com">Microsoft Corporation has entered the audio market with a satellite-and-subwoofer speaker system for use with personal computers. The Digital Sound System 80 made its debut at this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3), held May 28-30 in Atlanta's World Congress Center. The system was designed in conjunction with Philips">http://www.philips.com">Philips Electronics NV of the Netherlands, one of the world's largest electronics companies.

Did they capture the sound of her violin? Did the nuance of a 9' Steinway grand piano translate onto the disc with all of its dynamic range intact? Hear for yourself when Ida Levin and Delores Stevens mark the debut of Stereophile's latest recording, Duet, with two live performances at HI-FI '98.

On May 26, http://www.N2K.com"> N2K's http://www.JazzCentralStation.com"> JazzCentralStation launched the first officially sanctioned Miles Davis StarSite, http://www.MilesDavis.com"> MilesDavis.com. An all-star musical and multimedia tribute was held that evening at New York City's Birdland, hosted by Dr. Billy Taylor and recorded by Phil Ramone and Michael Cuscuna for a September release on N2K Encoded Music. May 26 would have been Davis' 72nd birthday.

In an effort to make computers more useful as audio systems, MusicMatchhttp://www.musicmatch.com">MusicMatch; and Xing">http://www.xingtech.com/">Xing Technology recently announced MusicMatch Jukebox, a digital audio management software program for the consumer market.

This past week, The">http://www.avacademy.com/">The Academy Advancing High Performance Audio & Video (AAHPAV) released its 1998 Golden Note Awards Nominations.

Returned products are problematic for consumers, retailers, and manufacturers. Returns have always eaten into profits in the audio and video business. Everybody knows that. What isn't widely known is that the Consumer">http://www.cemacity.org">Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association sponsors an annual conference to help deal with the problem.

On May 18, 1998, James D. Dunning, Jr., Chairman and CEO of the Petersen Companies, Inc., announced an agreement to acquire Stereophile Magazine and Stereophile Guide to Home Theater---two of this country's leading high-end audio and home-theater publications---as well as HI-FI '98, The Home Theater & Specialty Audio Show.