Audio News for September 3, 2010 3 Sep 2010, 12:00 am

DGG & Decca Celebrate Mahler’s Birthday - The two Universal classical labels are asking music lovers to vote on their web site for their favorite recordings of Mahler’s symphonies, which will result in a fall release of Mahler - The People’s Edition. A number of out-of-print titles have been opened up, and all consumers can stream the entire Universal Mahler catalog for free before voting for their favorite performances. Some 180 recordings are included, plus over 60 out-of-print recordings....

Audio News for August 31, 2010 31 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

Met Live in HD Opera Series Expands to 1500 Theaters & 46 Countries - The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series of live opera transmissions in movie theaters worldwide will go into its fifth season October 9 with 300 more theaters and with Spain, Portugal and Egypt added to its network of countries. The number of transmissions will also expand, to a dozen, including the Met’s new Robert Lepage-directed production of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, conducted by James Levine. Die Walküre will close th...

Audio News for August 27, 2010 27 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

Cheap Earbuds Scam - It finally comes out: you know those super-cheap earbuds everyone seems to be wearing nowadays (and ruining their hearing with), such as those terrible little white earbuds that come with Apple's iPods?  They seem to all sound the same (awful) and many look the same. Well, it turns out they may actually BE all the same.  Companies in the Far East make these low-end sub-$50 earbuds and customize them for anyone. One of the OEM manufacturers even advertises that thei...

Audio News for August 24, 2010 24 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

MusicBrainz Community Music Metadatabase - If you don’t know about this user-maintained open community that features music metadata in the form of a relational database, you should. It was created when Gracenote took over the free CDDB project and began to charge users for access to the data (such as used in iTunes). The MusicBrainz community has expanded to the point it is more than a CDDB replacement and has become a “Wikipedia for Music.”  It only provides data about recordings, not th...

Audio News for August 20, 2010 20 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

The First Two Blu-ray 3D Discs Issued - They are the animation feature Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and the music album Goldberg Variations Acoustica from AIX Media Group. The AIX release is the first 3D disc featuring a music performance recorded especially for the new format and is the first Blu-ray 3D to use Dolby Labs TrueHD lossless audio format. The disc is a 53-minute improvisational performance by a sextet of LA’s most talented studio musicians and artists - the AIX All Star Band. ...

Audio News for August 17, 2010 17 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

Electronics Sales Increase as Durables Sales Decrease - According to government data just release, Americans are spending more on electronics like flat-screen TVs and iPads and less on durable goods like furniture, washing machines and lawn mowers. Consumers seem to be directing their purchases to eye-grabbing technology and putting more of what’s left into savings.  Outlays for TVs, video, phone equipment and computers grew 1.8% in the first six month of this year compared to the first hal...

Audio News for August 13, 2010 13 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

Naxos Takes Over Warner Classics Distribution - Naxos, now the leading classical record label, has announced a partnership with Warner Classics to distribute all of their CD audio content in the U.S.  Beginning September 1, this will include the repertory of Warner Classics, Teldec, Das Alte Werk, and Erato labels. More than 2000 classical discs are part of the agreement, including many currently unavailable in the U.S. Some of the artists associated with the various Warner labels include J...

Audio News for August 10, 2010 10 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

Not the Best Place to Buy Speakers - A Kansas City newspaper ran a story headlined The Back of Some Guy’s Van Might Not be the Best Place to Buy Stereos. They’ve had a rash of transient companies in their metropolitan area selling stereo speakers from a van with various stories about why they are getting rid of them at such a low price. The outside of the speaker boxes frequently indicate a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,999 to $3,999 when their value and quality are a great deal le...

Audio News for August 6, 2010 6 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

Panasonic to Launch Consumer 3D Camcorder - The new camera is part of the Lumix cameras series, and a consumer version of Panasonic’s Pro 3D camera. It will be the first 3D-capable camcorder for the consumer market from a major manufacturer and will have two lenses in a single case, replacing the normal single lens. The camera records full hi-def 3D images to SD memory cards, in 1080p AVCHD resolution. 3D Connectivity in New Denon Receivers - The latest Denon AV receivers are fully compatible w...

Audio News for August 3, 2010 3 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

Dutch Composer/Bandleader Willem Breuker Dies - One of the most original contrarians in European jazz passed away July 23 in Amsterdam at age 65. For more than 35 years he led his Kollektief band of about 11 players, which traveled the world. His mixmaster programs used his own compositions and selections from both high and low culture - Kurt Weill, circus music, marches, folk music, Elvis, blues, loft jazz, classical, Spike Jones, you name it.  He liked to segue one piece into another tota...

Audio News for July 30, 2010 29 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

B&W To Furnish Their Speaker Line to Best Buy - Top British speaker/maker Bowers & Wilkins will be offering their entire high-end speaker line via the Magnolia Design Centers in stores of the Best Buy chain, beginning in October. They will also be available at the six Magnolia AV stores nationally.  B&W’s chairman frankly explained the major changes in the high-end business, pointing out that their audio dealerships have declined greatly. He put the reasons to both more emphasis...

Audio News for July 27, 2010 27 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

Phone and Cable Companies Fight FCC Plans to Regulate Broadband - 74 representatives sent a letter to the FCC last month warning them not to move forward with their plan to extend their oversight to broadband and eventually provide a nationwide wireless service. They demand the FCC wait for Congress to pass specific legislation. Their message copied the view of AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, whose executives and political action committees have been among the top 20 campaign contributors to lawm...

Audio News for July 23, 2010 23 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

Conductor Charles Mackerras Dies at 84 - Australian conductor Mackerras died in London this week. His performances and recordings were known for their clarity and precision and unerring instinct for the correct inflections in period styles. He made important discoveries about vocal ornamentation in Mozart operas and played a crucial role in establishing the operas of Janacek in the West. Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, and the symphonies of Mozart, Mendelssohn and Brahms were other of his specia...

Audio News for July 21, 2010 21 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

Blu-ray and Digital Distribution Sales Up - The mid-year sales figures from The Digital Entertainment Group covers DVD, Blu-ray and digital distribution of video. For the first half of 2010 it reached $8.8 billion, off 3.3% compared to the same period last year, but showing Blu-ray software sales up 84%, Blu-ray equipment sales up 103% and digital distribution up 23%. Blu-ray disc sales, including both sell-thru and rental, was $982 million for the first half of the year. Digital distribution, w...

Audio News for July 16, 2010 16 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

Another Audio Show - What is being billed as the only audio show on the West Coast happens in the San Francisco Bay Area July 30 thru August 1.  The California Audio Show is put on by the audio publication Dagogo and takes place at the Hilton Garden Inn, Emeryville, near the end of the Oakland Bay Bridge. It runs the first two days until 6 PM and on Sunday until 4 PM and a $10 pass if good for all three days.  Attendees are urged to bring their favorite recordings to “let us present th...

Audio News for July 13, 2010 13 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

New Blackberry To Play 1080p Video - The makers of the Blackberry smartphone are set to launch a 7-inch tablet which like the recent Cisco Android will be targeted at the business market. The device will have a 1GHz processor and play 1080p video, giving it an advantage of Apple’s iPad. It will play Flash files and have cameras on the front and back. Users will be able to access the Internet, use Wi-Fi, or insert a 3G SIM similar to the high end iPad. The tablet is expected early in 2011. LG Lo...

Audio News for July 9, 2010 8 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

MP3 Classical CDs Issued - For collectors who are into (ugh!) MP3 files but not into downloading, there are now beginning to be some classical releases as MP3 files on disc. Some of the most recent in-car head ends will play MP3 files on CDs, but these are intended mainly for playing on computers, porting over to music server hard drives, or on compatible CD/DVD players. (The Oppo BDP-83 plays MP3 files, for example.) One set is the complete works for organ solo by J.S. Bach, featuring organist ...

Audio News for July 6, 2010 6 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

HDMI to be Replaced Soon by HDBaseT - Many of us are just getting used to the pros and cons of the HDMI cable standard for the wired distribution of both video and audio content, but it looks like soon that single-cable solution will be obsolete - replaced by a new technology for whole-home distribution of uncompressed HD multimedia content known as HDBaseT.  A cross-industry alliance was formed to standardize and promote the technology, and has announced the HDBaseT 1.0 base specification....

Audio News for July 2, 2010 2 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

CEA 3D TV Study - A new study by the Consumer Electronics Association of over 250 retail sales associates selling 3D TVs found that many consumers are confused about 3D technology, though the view from the sales floor is generally positive. Roughly 50% of shoppers have a positive response to 3D while only 2% respond negatively. Sales associates believe 3D has generated the same or more excitement than did LED TVs and Blu-ray disc players. 80% of the interviewed associates said sales of 3D techno...

Audio News for June 29, 2010 29 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

Retail Sales in U.S. Fall - For the first time since last September, sales results were worse than economists - who had predicted a .2% gain - had expected.  There were large declines in home entertainment products, hardware stores, auto dealers, gas stations and department stores. Home Retail Group CEO Terry Duddy said “Economic conditions remain both challenging and uncertain, with this quarter proving difficult in terms of consumers’ willingness to spend.” Obama Signs Plan to Auction Mo...

Audio News for June 25, 2010 25 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

Everest Records 96K/24bit Downloads - The latest owner of the Golden Age audiophile classical label Everest has made its library available to one of the top hi-res download sites, HDtracks. Founded by audio writer and engineer Bert Whyte, Everest made its first releases on 35mm and three-track tape and issued them on stereo LPs and some prerecorded tapes. Mag film could handle much higher levels than tape, resulting in inaudible hiss levels and better sonics. Custom-made U47 tube mikes were used...

Audio News for June 22, 2010 22 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

Home Electronics Dealers Struggling - Excerpts say launching a home electronics business nowadays would be suicidal, because the industry has become so fast-moving and price-competitive, with stores getting competition from the increasing use of online outlets where price comparison is simplified.  One retailer had to close down a 25,000 square foot store that couldn’t survive just selling TVs. He said the former higher profit margins are now gone with the prices of flat-panel TVs having fa...

Audio News for June 18, 2010 18 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

2010 Jazz Award Winners of Jazz Journalists Association - The organization of some 450 members honoring more than 40 musicians, presenters, jazz suppporters and jazz journalists for the 14th year at an awards program in NYC on June 14. Highest honors went to saxist/flutist James Moody for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz, and to music journalist Don Heckman for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism. Musician of the Year was pianist-composer Vijay Iyer, and multiple awards were received by Joe Lova...

Audio News for June 15, 2010 15 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

Marantz’s Largest Product Launch - Marantz will be introducing its biggest range of new products in ten years later this month or early July. It will include network-capable AV receivers, universal Blu-ray players and high-end audio separates, including many new two-channel components. The new range is said to have “solutions for virtually every consumer need and budget” and is designed to compete with the likes of Harman Kardon and Yamaha. The new components claim many breakthru features and sy...

Audio News for June 11, 2010 11 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

33rd-Year Anniversary of VHS - It was in 1977 that the VHS videocassette format was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show. It quickly became part of the VHS vs. Betamax format war. Sony’s Betamax had come out in 1975.  JVC developed VHS the year before, and promoted that it could record twice as long as Betamax and had faster rewind and fast forward speeds. Never mind that it looked worse. A VCR originally cost $1280 and blank tapes were priced at $20. Since JVC licensed the VHS forma...