News

Threshold Audio Announces New Amp, Preamp

Barry Willis Jul 01, 2001 First Published: Jul 01, 2001

Making good on a promise reportedhttp://www.stereophile.com/news/10923/">reported; back in December of last year, Threshold">http://www.threshold-audio.com">Threshold Audio has returned the Threshold brand to the market with a new stereo power amplifier.

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Multi-Channel DSD On a Chip

Stereophile Staff Jul 01, 2001 First Published: Jul 01, 2001

Last week, Asahi">http://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/akm/index.htm">Asahi Kasei Microsystems Semiconductor (AKM), which supplies audio ICs for professional and consumer products, announced its line of Direct Stream Digital (DSD) Digital-to-Analog converters capable of supporting both Super Audio CD (SACD) Direct-Stream Bigital and 24-bit/192kHz LPCM DVD-Audio formats.

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Storms, Energy Crisis Threaten Electronics

Barry Willis Jul 01, 2001 First Published: Jul 01, 2001

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.

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Added to the Archives This Week

Stereophile Staff Jul 01, 2001 First Published: Jul 01, 2001

As John Atkinson puts it, Meridian usually does things "their way," putting amps and DACs inside of speakers in an all-out attempt at "re-creating the original soundfield, no matter how many speakers and channels it takes to do it right." But as Atkinson finds, the Meridian">http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/367/">Meridian 518 Digital Audio Processor might be the company's most perverse product: "The $1650 518 offers digital inputs and outputs only. It can digitally perform gain and source selection; it can change data with one digital word length to data with another; and it does all these things with 72-bit internal precision." So JA asks, "How does the 518 fit within a conventional high-end audio system?" Read along as he figures it all out.

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B&W Redefines Its State of the Art

Jon Iverson Jul 01, 2001 First Published: Jul 01, 2001

In 1991, British loudspeaker manufacturer B&Whttp://www.bwspeakers.com">B&W; celebrated its 25th birthday with the introduction of the John Bowers Silver Signature loudspeaker (see reviewhttp://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/272/">review;). Not the largest or most expensive speaker on the company chart, the John Bowers Silver Signature, named after the company's late founder, still prompted John Atkinson to write that its performance was the best he'd heard for its modest size in his listening room.

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Chet Atkins Dead at 77

Wes Phillips Jul 01, 2001 First Published: Jul 01, 2001

Chet Atkins, the good-natured guitarist and successful record producer who established Nashville as the capitol of country music, in the process of transforming the music itself, died on Saturday, June 30. He had battled cancer for several years. He was 77.

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Klipsch Refines Electronics, Speaker Plans

Barry Willis Jun 24, 2001 First Published: Jun 24, 2001

Attendees at the Custom">http://www.cedia.org/">Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association Expo 2001 will be the first to see new Aragon products, parent company Klipschhttp://www.klipsch.com">Klipsch; announced in late June. The Indianapolis-based audio manufacturer will unveil new Aragon/Klipsch home theater systems at the annual show held in its hometown the first week of September. The show's stature has grown to such an extent that many companies now choose to debut new products there rather than at the January Consumer Electronics Show.

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Scientists: CD Rot For Real

Stereophile Staff Jun 24, 2001 First Published: Jun 24, 2001

The compact disc has given rise to all sorts of questionable accessories: magic pens with green ink, reflective stickers, rim dampers, absorbent mats, spindle weights, cleaners, buffers, polishers, and demagnetizers. It's amazing how many products are needed to make perfect sound perfect.

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The PC To CE Stampede

Jon Iverson Jun 24, 2001 First Published: Jun 24, 2001

Times are obviously tough for personal computer manufacturers, who, in the quest for new sources of revenue, are increasingly dipping their toes into consumer electronics waters. The latest firm to join IBM, Intel, and Compaq (see previoushttp://www.stereophile.com/news/11066/">previous;) in the rushing stream is Hewlett-Packardhttp://www.hp.com">Hewlett-Packard; which announced last week the expansion of the company's drive into the living room. HP says that its new initiative is intended to "blend interactive product innovations with easy-to-use services and offer consumers new ways to enjoy digital music, streaming video, and Internet information in the living room."

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Tower Records: No Bankruptcy

Barry Willis Jun 24, 2001 First Published: Jun 24, 2001

The fate of Tower">http://www.towerrecords.com">Tower Records has been the subject of music industry speculation for months. The company's financial difficulties have been no secret; several stories recently appeared alluding to a new Tower">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11041/">Tower policy of making some suppliers share the burden—especially distributors of small specialty classical labels.