Hi-Fi Expo Sophia
The massive Clearaudio Statement (seen here: just the topmost 567 pixels) will be on display at Hi-Fi Expo Sophia in Bulgaria.
Thursday–Sunday, December 14: The second Hi-Fi Expo Sophia will take place at the Grand Hotel Sophia in Sophia, Bulgaria.Hi-Fi Goes Wi-Fi
It's been a long wait, but we're finally starting to see high-bandwidth IEEE 1394 digital audio connections on the back of DVD-A/SACD players (see related">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11369/">related story), as first hinted">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10049/">hinted at by Yamaha five years ago. A key ingredient for getting the beleaguered 1394 (or FireWire or iLink) format moving was the inclusion of copy-protection protocols that restrict unfettered consumer use of the digital audio content.
Hi-fi, Fashion, and Rock’n’Roll
McIntosh VP of Sales and Marketing Linda Passaro poses with producer Tony Visconti (middle) and fashion designer John Varvatos (left)
Iconic hi-fi manufacturer McIntosh and fashion designer John Varvatos are joining forces in hopes to spread the love of great sound to customers at Varvatos stores across the country. Both brands hope to bring customers closer to the rock’n’roll experience by bringing them closer to the music through a high-fidelity audio system. Varvatos’s relationship with McIntosh began at age 17, when he heard his first Mac system. Varvatos, an audio enthusiast, described how he felt listening to a hi-fi for the first time: “I thought it was the future then, and it’s the future now.”Hi-Res Audio and More at the 2014 CE Week
New York's CE Week occurs every June and is a miniature version of the January CES held in Las Vegas. The proportional representation of serious audio gear is similar but, given the small number of total exhibits, audio pickings are usually very thin. This year, however, there was more audio buzz than ever before.
Hi-Res Listening Stations Expand. . .
The news is not simply that Best Buy/Magnolia stores' 82 Hi-Resolution Listening Stations which they developed in the US in conjunction with Sony, have proven so successful, and generated so much interest in hi-res, that the company has added 250 more listening locations around the country. It's also that we now have data that shows a major reason for the expansion: Far more people care about sound quality than many would have you believe.
Hi-Rez and Lossless Classical Streaming from Naxos
On Monday January 5, Naxos rings in the New Year with the worldwide launch of their ClassicsOnline HDLLclassical music streaming and download site. ClassicsOnline HDLL streams music in both "high-definition"Naxos' term for high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192kHz sampling rateand full CD quality (lossless, or, in Naxos' lingo, LL). The site also sells high-def, lossless, and MP3 downloads in FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, and 320kbps MP3 formats.
Hi-Rez Audio Distinguished in Blind Testing
Spectral analysis of a live blues band recording made by John Atkinson, showing content up to 40kHz, from "What's Going On Up There?"
At the October 2019 Audio Engineering Society convention in New York, Yuki Fukuda and Shunsuke Ishimitsu, both of Hiroshima City University, presented results that show quite clearly that listeners can distinguish sounds encoded and reproduced at different sampling frequencies. Their trials differed from the previous ones in one important way: Instead of exposing test subjects to music at different resolutions, they used test tones.Hi-Rez Blaster
Following Apple">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11396/">Apple Computer's lead in bringing high-resolution audio to the computing environment, Creative">http://www.soundblaster.com">Creative Technology announced last week several audio products intended to facilitate DVD-Audio playback via personal computer. The company is also offering suggestions for making a PC quiet enough for use in a dedictated listening system.
Hi-Rez Downloads Ring In the New Year
The Deutsche Grammophon webshophttp://www2.deutschegrammophon.com/">webshop; and http://www.hdtracks.com ">HDtracks have special New Year's gifts for audiophiles: more CD-quality and high-resolution downloads.
Hi-Rez DTS Added to Blu-ray & HD DVD
Last week we reported Dolby's announcementhttp://www.stereophile.com/news/092704mlp/">announcement; that varying versions of their audio technologies have been selected as "mandatory formats" for HD">http://www.dvdforum.org">HD DVD and Blu-rayhttp://www.blu-raydisc.com">Blu-ray;. Significant for audiophiles is that MLP and high-resolution PCM audio will be available both as two-channel and surround formats on HD DVD.