News

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.

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.

The sales picture has improved for Tweeter Home Entertainment Group, but not the bottom line. The Canton, MA–based retailer reported a 4% increase in sales for the second quarter ended March 31, with comparable store results up 3%. The increase lifted Tweeter's total revenue to $189.3 million, but the company reported an operating loss of $4.6 million, almost twice the $2.5 million loss posted in the same period the previous year.

"Is there anything genuinely new under the audio sun?" asks Michael Fremer as he describes the technology behind the T+A">http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/504ta">T+A V10 integrated amplifier. "For the most part, industry cynics say 'No,'" MF remarks, "claiming that most new amplifier designs merely rehash well-worn circuits. [But] T+A developed a new circuit for the V10 that it calls the SPPP, for 'Single Primary Push-Pull.'"

Sorting through the rooms of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we'll often discover interesting companies only to find that they are not yet represented in the US. Such has been the case with Cyrus">http://www.cyrus.co.uk/">Cyrus Electronics, which has always intrigued us with its compact products and modern design sensibility in the tradition of a Linn or Meridian.

In one of his old comedy routines, Steve Martin imagines himself hauled into court for bank robbery. He seeks dismissal of the charges on the grounds of forgetfulness. "Your Honor," he pleads, "I forgot that bank robbery was a crime."

As we discovered">http://www.stereophile.com/news/010904ces/">discovered earlier this year, Microsoft is trying to make friends with audiophiles. Need more proof? The software behemoth recently announced broad support for what it has termed the "Universal Audio Architecture" (UAA) initiative, which, the company claims, "will help to ensure an improved audio experience and improved audio device driver support for users of Windows."