The shoes are now dropping all over the place. We have previously reported that Warner Music Group had dropped DRM on its downloads, <A HREF="http://stereophile.com/news/123107warner/">joining</A> Amazon.com's Download store. Ten days ago, we also reported that Sony BMG had announced <I>it</I> was <A HREF="http://stereophile.com/news/010508sonybmg/">dropping DRM</A>, although it declined to release any distribution details at the time.
It must be the week after the Consumer Electronics Show: I'm all written out on consumer electronics, my feet hurt, and I have a cold. All three happen every year.
Immedia's Allen Perkins was running not one, but two Spiral Groove turntables. He was running the original SG1 ($20,000) with Continuum's new Copperhead tonearm ($12,000), but he was also debuting his new SG2 ($15,000) with a Triplanar Ultimate tonearm ($4200).
I was rocking out in the DeVore Fidelity/Tone Imports room, listening to Polly Jean Harvey. In the midst of the hurly-burly of CES, I was feeling no pain. "I love the way you guys decided to set your Silver Diamondback References up assymetrically," I told JDV.
"The Sonics by Joachim Gerhard Amerigo loudspeakers ($5500/pair) are the first speakers Joachim has ever designed specifically for the American market," said Immedia's Allen Perkins. "I designed the cabinet dimensions and suggested we use an American veneer like Zebrawood or Bird's-Eye maple, then Joachim developed drivers and a crossover network. Funny thing, he said it had the lowest distortion he'd ever measured."
Franc Kuzma was showing a fascinating tonearm, the $7300–7500 4Point, named because it has unique vertical and horizontal bearings. Kuzma said, "It's like a unipivot tonearm that can't 'chatter' in the horizontal plane."
Poor Kevin Halverson! Since Hesiod only named nine muses in <I>Theogony</I>, Kevin has had to double up as Muse's line of players has increased. The Erato II is available as a transport ($5300) or one-box CD/DVD/DVD-A player ("up to" $7300).
That line got me a kitten when I was five. It doesn't seem to work so well on audio manufacturers, though. I must have lost me some cute.
"Basically, what we're offering is some fun for a rainy Sunday afternoon," said Upscale Audio's Kevin Deal, who had two replacement I/V op-amp upgrades for the $2499 Prima Luna ProLogue Eight CD player. Both are ready to just pop in as replacements for the Eight's existing board. The Basic ("around" $150) has open slots for bypass capacitors and a heavy-duty PS. The Super ("around" $225) already has surface-mount caps and the HD PS installed.