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Industry Roundup

Barry Willis May 31, 2004 First Published: Jun 01, 2004

RIAA lawsuits continue: Each month the recording industry launches a few hundred more lawsuits against suspected file-swappers, with such tedious regularity that we could simply re-run the previous month's news with a new figure inserted. This time around, the Recording Industry Association of America announced May 24 that it had filed suit against 493 more people believed to have illegally shared music over the Internet. Known only by their screen names and IP addresses, the unnamed defendants are subscribers with Internet service providers in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Texas. Unlike recent suits, none of the current crop involves college students or university networks. To date approximately 3000 people have been sued by the music industry; 486 have settled, paying damages that averaged $3000 each.

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Hempcones and Hemptones

Barry Willis May 31, 2004 First Published: May 31, 2004

Most manufacturers who advertise in Stereophile hype an exquisite blend of old world craftsmanship and high technology. The gambit is particularly common in the business of selling loudspeakers, where ad copy pushes the sonic advantages of the latest ultra-stiff, indestructible, and nearly weightless cone materials such as Kevlar, carbon-fiber, anodized aluminum, or platinum-plated titanium.

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Added to the Archives This Week

Stereophile Staff May 31, 2004 First Published: May 31, 2004

"It costs as much as a car—and not a used jalopy, either," remarks Michael Fremer. "That's what goes through your head as you contemplate this magnificent $20,190 piece of audio jewelry." The jewelry in question is the Jadis">http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/1298jadis">Jadis RC JP80 MC Mk.II preamplifier, which MF compliments for "breathtaking" workmanship and parts quality. He also listens to the thing and reveals what some might consider the most important part: how it sounds.

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Album Cover Top 10

Jon Iverson May 31, 2004 First Published: May 31, 2004

There are several easy ways to start arguments among music fans: ask for a list of the most significant albums of all time, or who the greatest songwriters are, or the best bands, or ask which albums sported the all-time greatest covers.

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Added to the Archives This Week

Stereophile Staff May 24, 2004 First Published: May 24, 2004

"Size does matter," John Atkinson discovers, as he fits the Shure">http://www.stereophile.com/accessoryreviews/504shure">Shure E3c in-ear headphones into his ears. Once fitted, JA hooks the mini "cans" up to his iPod and PowerBook to discover how much audiophile sound a little set of ear buds can produce.

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Giant Step for Sirius

Stereophile Staff May 23, 2004 First Published: May 23, 2004

How does a struggling satellite radio service increase its market exposure more than 20-fold in one fell swoop? Simple. It enters a sweetheart deal with one of the biggest satellite TV companies in North America.

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Home Entertainment 2004—Day Three

Wes Phillips May 22, 2004 First Published: May 23, 2004

Saturday is always the crunch day at the Home Entertainment Show. There are more people in the halls, more bodies in the rooms, and more noise everywhere—and it's wonderful. People here really speak our language: audiogeek spoken here.

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Home Entertainment 2004—Day Two

Wes Phillips May 21, 2004 First Published: May 22, 2004

Friday, the first public day of HE2004, was entirely different from the press-only day that preceded it. Friday, the audiophiles arrived and the excitement was palpable. Rooms filled with music lovers; halls thronged with excited gear-heads. Now that's entertainment.

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HE 2004 Music Notes

Stereophile Staff May 21, 2004 First Published: May 21, 2004

Renowned Canadian pianist Robert Silverman will be signing copies of his
Stereophile CDs at noon on Saturday May 22 at Home Entertainment
2004. Recorded in audiophile sound quality by Stereophile editor
John Atkinson, Robert's recordings include HREF="Concerthttp://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/315">Concert;,
live performances of works by Bach, Chopin, Schumann, and Schubert; HREF="Sonatahttp://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/131">Sonata;,
featuring Frans Liszt's heroic B-minor Sonata; and the HREF="complete">http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/298">complete Beethoven
Sonatas.

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Home Entertainment 2004—Day One

Wes Phillips May 20, 2004 First Published: May 20, 2004

Today marked the opening of Home Entertainment 2004 East, held at Manhattan's Hilton Hotel on 6th Avenue in Midtown. By long tradition, the first press conference in The Home Entertainment Show's busy press day has always been occupied by Sony and this year was no different. As we entered the Sony Suite, we were greeted by a wall display of over 2000 SACD titles—surely enough to be considered a down-payment on the critical mass that will be necessary for any high-rez format to survive. But any hopes that Sony would address SACD were quickly dashed in the press conference itself, which was primarily devoted to news of Sony's new broadband "location free" video systems, which allow consumers to carry 12.1" or 7" LCD video tablets anywhere they might wish to access their home-entertainment options. The data transfer is accomplished through the dual-band IEEE 802.11a/11g protocol. The 12" LF-X1 will retail for $1500 and the 7" widescreen LF-X5 will go for $1000.