News

The Home Technology & Photography Group (HT&P) of Primedia and website BestStuff.comhttp://BestStuff.com">BestStuff.com; announced today the launch of Best, a shopping magazine focused on the products and experiences that enhance an upscale lifestyle. Best, which hits newsstands on Thursday, November 6 at a $3.99 cover price, is an "aspirational" magazine which offers features ranging from the selection and use of home theaters and high-end audio and video systems, to digital photography, computers, and video imaging products, as well as the finest in automobiles and ultimate travel suggestions.

It's rare to find people praising a competitor in this hi-fi business, but I first met John Michell soon after one of his biggest rivals had described him as an "engineer's engineer." Memorably, he'd be the first port of call for anyone in the UK who wanted something done properly and without compromise. Another competitor described him as quite the nicest person he'd worked with, and a naturally gifted practical engineer.

Each month Sony Corporation announces what seems to be an even more drastic cure for its lingering financial malaise. On Tuesday, October 28, the Japanese industrial giant announced that it would reduce its workforce by approximately 13% over the next three years, cutting some 20,000 workers from its payroll, 7000 of them in Japan.

From the October issue, Art Dudley mounts the Dynavector">http://www.stereophile.com/showarchives.cgi?947">Dynavector DV10x5 MC phono cartridge (on his tonearm, that is) and spins a few records. AD explains, "This is the first entry-level Dynavector to incorporate the company's colorfully named flux damping and softened magnetism."

New York's ailing Bottom Line music club has attracted some heavyweight help. Rock icon Bruce Springsteen and Viacom president Mel Karmazin have joined a campaign begun by New York–based satellite radio service Sirius">http://www.siriusradio.com">Sirius Radio to save the legendary venue.

Every autumn, the Consumer">http://www.CE.org">Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) publishes its "Five Technologies to Watch" list of "technology trends poised to shape the consumer electronics industry" in the year ahead. Most of the choices may seem obvious, but the final entry on the list this year may be a surprise for audiophiles.

This month, Stereophile brings you the Internet's largest community of qualified audio and video buyers and sellers, powered by industry leader Audiogon. Visitors to Stereophile.com will find a new "AV">http://marketplace.stereophile.com">AV Marketplace" link that connects directly to the most robust venue for buying and selling used and new audio and video equipment on the Web. Services also include an online Bluebook for quick evaluation of used equipment prices, online used equipment forums, member product reviews, information on manufacturers, and a member feedback system.