Immersive Audio at AES
The buzz at the 2019 Audio Engineering Society (AES) convention in New York was immersive audio, as it has been for the last several years. I witnessed developments that may have a big impact on the future of multichannel audio.
Immersive Audio at National Sawdust
In September 2019, I made an afternoon visit to National Sawdust, a vibrant, innovative performance space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to attend a demonstration of the new Constellation and Spacemap systems installed there by Meyer Sound. According to Meyer Sound designer Steve Ellison, the two systems permit control of the space's acoustics (Constellation) and empower performers and sound designers to construct a soundscape (Spacemap) in which voices, instruments, and other sounds can be located virtually anywhere within as well as beyond the confines of the performance space.
Improved Digital Audio Schemes Debut
First, the sobering reality: Among the world's billions of music lovers, probably a million or fewer are true audiophiles, for whom sound quality is a primary concern. The uncritical majority will embrace any audio technology that offers economy and convenience. Case in point: the popularity of the MP3 digital format, widely derided by audiophiles for its compressed dynamics and lack of detail, but adopted readily by the general public because of its ease of use.
In Case You Missed It: The May Issue Is Here
Our latest issue features a spicy interview with recording musician and Blue Note Records head Don Was; reviews of several speakers including KEF's affordable, wireless LSX, Wilson's Yvette, and the ultra-affordable Emotiva Airmotiv T2; and McIntosh's superb-measuring, powerful MC462 power amplifier.
In L.A.: The North American Debut of the DeVore O/Reference Loudspeaker System
Common Wave Hi-Fi is proud to host John Devore for the North American debut of his long awaited Orangutan Reference speaker system.
In Living Stereo Celebrates Mono
In Living Stereo's Steven Mishoe holds an EMT OFD25 pickup head.
On the evening of July 24, the passing of EMT's classic OFD series of pickup heads was noted in singular style: In Living Stereo, the hi-fi and record store that represents EMT in New York City, invited their customers to drop by for drinks, snacks, and the opportunity to hear their favorite mono LPs played with OFD 15 and OFD 25 pickups on an otherwise all-Shindo system.In Your Mailbox Now: our November 2015 Issue
The October Stereophile may have featured a retro tubed integrated amplifier on its cover but the November issue, hitting newsstands and mailboxes now, spotlights the hi-tech, solid-state Musical Nu-Vista 800 integrated amplifier. Don't fret, thermionic aficionados, the Musical Fidelity's preamp section is built around classic nuvistor triodes.
Incubus Sues Sony Music
Incubus is following the Dixie Chicks' lead.
Independent Jazz Gets a Shot in the Arm
It's been a tough year for some of the audiophile record labels, as witnessed by the demise in late November of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (see previous">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10614/">previous story). The shock of MoFi's sudden departure even prompted Kimber Kable's Ray Kimber to fire off an e-mail to everyone within virtual reading range, urging them to buy a few audiophile CDs and LPs right now, before it's too late.
Independent Music Shops Surviving Despite Online Competition
Internet traffic doubles every 100 days, according to some statistics. This growth has been accompanied by an increase in the amount of online shopping---a phenomenon that has had a significant impact on retailers. Independent bookstores, for example, have been squeezed not only by the expansion of large-scale operations like Barnes">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/">Barnes & Noble, but also by the popularity of Internet discounters like Amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com/">Amazon.com; and Borders.comhttp://www.borders.com/">Borders.com;. Online sales of recorded music by both record clubs and start-up resellers have put a dent in the bottom lines of many mass-market music stores---although not a huge one yet. The trend will certainly continue.