We have written about HDTracks.com <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/032308hdtracks/">previously</A>, but that was before the site went public. This morning David Chesky notified <I>Stereophile</I> that it is offering, for a limited time, a <I>free</I> <A HREF="https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=register">"HDTracks Ultimate Download Experience."</A>
At 9am on May 14, Meridian Audio announced that Walter Schofield will be assuming the position of President of Meridian America at the company's Atlanta office on June 1. Jeff Dean will run Meridian's newly established Hollywood office.
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Personally, I think Pink Floyd should do a reunion tour simply because <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7374994.stm">this</A> would make a fabulous concept album.
Has the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/turntables/1103linn/">Linn Sondek LP12 turntable</A> really been around for 35 years? Yes, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/1101ivor/">Ivor Tiefenbrun MBE</A>, founder and Chairman of Linn Products, asserts. Moreover, Tiefenbrun asserts, the revolutionary aspect of that 'table was not simply that it worked "simply better," but that it was designed to be "modular, upgradeable, and expandable in accordance with our continuous improvement philosophy. That is what 'simply better' means. It is not an assertive statement of superiority but an aspirational motto defining our objective as simplifying and improving everything that we do."
Microsoft made several announcements this week: one promises Live Mesh, a service that would "connect and bring devices together . . . to work in concert"; the other admits that Microsoft promises are not to be trusted.
Matthew Guerrieri (<I>aka Soho the Dog</I>) has a new installation of his ongoing series <I>Strauss and Mahler Re-Enact Your Favorite Movie Moments</I>. <A HREF="http://sohothedog.blogspot.com/2008/04/strauss-and-mahler-re-enact-your… episode</A> is <I>The Ten Commandments</I>. Read 'em all—they're hilarious.
When I first learned that Meridian had co-badged, with Ferrari, a $3000 table radio, I was tempted to cynically dismiss it as a marketing gimmick—an attempt by the audio manufacturer to leverage the brand loyalty of the Italian automaker to its own highly developed industrial designs. The problem was, that required that I dismiss everything I knew about Meridian and its singular head designer, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/906bob">Bob Stuart</A>.
D&M Holdings, Inc., the Japanese consortium that owns Denon, Snell, Boston Acoustics, McIntosh, Escient, and Marantz, is apparently on the marketing block. Rumors to that effect have been circulating since mid-March, although the company's <A HREF=" http://www.dm-holdings.com/960_ENG_ASP.asp">website</A>, in a press release dated 04/15/08, coyly says only: "D&M Holdings, Inc. notes that recent press reports concerning the potential sale of D&M shares is not based on any information provided by the company."
No matter how well you think you know the specialized world of high-end audio, there are always new companies, new technologies, and new products you just haven't gotten around to knowing yet.