Product Prognostications
The Consumer Electronic Association's (CEA) Gary Shapiro is known for maintaining an ever-optimistic stance on the progress of home entertainment, and a recent keynote at the Semiconductor Market Outlook Conference earlier this month provided an opportunity for him to reveal his top predictions for the future.
Products Worth Investigating
Home theater may be the electronic industry's golden goose, but, contrary to nasty rumors, standalone audio is sailing along proudly, as demonstrated by several recently released products.
Products Worth Investigating
One of the more intriguing discussions we had at last week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was with Jim Weil of Berkeley, CA–based Sound">http://www.soundapplication.com">Sound Application.
Profit Picture Improves for EMI
Two scuttled mergers in the past year haven't damaged the profit picture for EMI">http://www.emigroup.com">EMI Group PLC. Neither has a global slowdown in music sales. EMI announced May 22 that it expects to see a 5.7% increase in pretax profits for its fiscal year ended March 31: £259.5 million (US $374 million), up from £245.4 million (US $353 million) a year earlier. EMI's sales for the year rose 12% to £2.67 billion (US $3.84 billion).
Profitless BMG May Lay Off Hundreds
A year without profits, a revolving door on the top floor, and potentially massive layoffs all spell trouble for BMG">http://www.bmg.com">BMG Entertainment.
Project K622
Since it has been five years since the debut of SACD, one might think that the debate as to where it fits within the audiophile food chain would have been put to rest. But as with most things audio, reality conspires to make rational comparisons between formats tough. One is never sure if two releases on different formats have been rendered from the same source, or, as">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11649/">as we discovered with the recent Dark Side of the Moon hybrid SACD, from completely different masters.
Promates: The World's First DXD Download Store
The world's first download site devoted exclusively to ultra hi-resolution DXD downloads, Promates Music Store, has launched from Copenhagen. The brainchild of Peter Scheelke, who in 2003 helped found Digital Audio Denmark (DAD), creator of the world's first commercial DXD converter, the site currently offers 26 native DXD recordings (352.8kHz sampling rate and 24-bit bit depth) from labels Dacapo and OUR Recordings.
Protecting the Consumer
The record companies have declared war on their customers when it comes to the fair use rights of purchased music, and it would appear that they want the government to enlist in their crusade. Previous weeks have seen South Carolina senator Ernest Hollings propose draconian copyright">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11287/">copyright legislation as well as recent pro-Hollywood remarks from California's senator Diane Feinstein.
PS Audio at AXPONA 2026: The joke was on me
Rogier van Bakel investigates the large PS Audio room at AXPONA 2026, and he has a special, unexpected listening experience while checking out the company's lineup of Aspen speakers.
PS Audio Goes Direct in the US
In a late-August newsletter, PS Audio announced a major change in how it does business. In the United States, its home market, the company stopped selling its products through dealers and opted for a direct, online-only sales model. Outside the US, it will continue to sell through authorized dealers.