Latest Additions


  • CES 2012: The editors report on all things audiophile.
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  • CES 2012: Michael Lavorgna covers computer audio.
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  • CES 2012: Tyll Hertsens on headphone and personal audio.
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  • CES 2012: The editors report on home theater products.
    • Stephen Mejias' Pick 6!
    Music Downloads
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 26, 2012 • 0 comments
    Wiley: Evolve or Be Extinct

    [This is part of a new series which I introduce here and I'm very happy to have my friend and colleague Stephen Mejias of Stereophile fame write the inaugural entry]

    I've spent this entire week writing those little 100-word blurbs that make up Stereophile's semi-annual "Recommended Components" feature. Every day, from around nine in the morning until around eight in the evening: distilling, trimming, summarizing, finding new ways to say "this" lacked "that" but nevertheless excelled at "this."

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    Pick 6! A New AudioStream Series
    Music Downloads
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 26, 2012 • 0 comments
    The basic organizational approach of AudioStream centers around hardware, software and music. According to various tracking methods, so far posts concerning music are not as popular as software which are not as popular as hardware. So I've decided to launch a new and ongoing music series titled - Pick 6! because music is, in the end, the point of the software and hardware we talk about here on AudioStream.

    The idea is simple—pick 6 of your favorite music downloads, email me your list including a link to the source, and I'll publish them. Every once in a while they'll be a Pick 6! guest picker (like the first one by Stephen Mejias above) from in and around our industry.

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    Neil Young Hates MP3s (and so do we)
    News
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 26, 2012 • 14 comments
    Speaking up at the Sundance Film Festival, Neil Young spoke out against shitty sound quality. He told MTV news:
    "I'm finding that I have a little bit of trouble with the quality of the sound of music today," Young said. "I don't like it. It just makes me angry. Not the quality of the music, but we're in the 21st century and we have the worst sound that we've ever had. It's worse than a 78. Where are our geniuses? What happened?"
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    Digital Music Report 2012
    News
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 25, 2012 • 2 comments
    The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) recently released its “Digital Music Report 2012” that shows a very healthy and growing global digital music market.
    Digital music revenues to record companies grew by 8 percent globally in 2011 to an estimated US$5.2 billion. This compares to growth of 5 per cent in 2010 and represents the first time the year-on-year growth rate has increased since IFPI started measuring digital revenues in 2004.
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    Audioengine D1 24-Bit DAC
    DAC Reviews
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 24, 2012 • 10 comments
    The Weight
    The Audioengine D1 DAC is the latest product from a company whose products I would describe as no nonsense in a hobby not exactly famous for no nonsense. I ran into Audioengine co-founders Brady Bargenquast and Dave Evans earlier this month at their booth in the South Hall of CES 2012 and when they asked what I thought about a certain DAC, I began to describe in standard audiophile-speak its sonic merits and demerits. I believe it was when the word "resolute" left my lips that I saw the most obvious signs of fatigue weigh down on them like the prospect of Sisyphus' boulder sitting once again at the bottom of that big-ass hill.
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    Apple and 802.11ac "Gigabit WiFi"
    News
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 24, 2012 • 4 comments
    According to AppleInsider, Apple is working on implementing the as yet to be finalized 802.11ac "Gigabit WiFi" standard (about three times as fast as 802.11n) in "new AirPort base stations, Time Capsule, Apple TV, notebooks and potentially its mobile devices" by the 2nd half of this year. Do you think this expanded bandwidth capability will finally usher in 24-bit file streaming over Apple AirPort networks? Did I hear someone say, gulp!
    Megaupload Down And Out?
    News
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 22, 2012 • 8 comments
    On January 19, 2012 the U.S. Justice Department seized about $50 million is assets of file sharing services company Megaupload and shut down all of the websites under the Megaupload corporate umbrella. 18 domain names were seized including Megavideo, Megalive, Megapix, Megabox, and CUM.com (formerly Megaporn, Megarotic, and Sexuploader). Megaupload is accused of copyright infringement and conspiracy and more and the accused face up to 20 years in prison. The prime suspect in the case is one Kim Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz) who founded Megaupload and who appears to live a larger than life lifestyle.
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    Newer Technology Power2U AC/USB Wall Outlet
    Cables & Accessory Reviews, News
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 19, 2012 • Published: Jan 18, 2012 • 2 comments
    I saw this handy little item in a pre-CES Press Release from OWC and thought, cool. While I did not see one in person at the show, I still think it's cool. The Newer Technology Power2U AC/USB Wall Outlet ($27.99/ea) installs into any existing 16 cubic inch electrical box with a 15Amp circuit and its UL/CUL Listed (E339607) for use in United States & Canada.
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    SOPA and PIPA
    News
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 19, 2012 • 5 comments
    The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) bills got a lot of attention yesterday when sites like Wikipedia went dark to raise awareness of and in protest against what they feel are the bills overreaching and dangerous implications. Here's an open letter from www.stopthewall.us that expresses some of those concerns:
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    2012 International CES The Wrap!
    CES 2012
    Michael Lavorgna • Jan 17, 2012 • 4 comments
    Jon Iverson told me not to miss the 13th floor

    From the first minute I hit the Venetian's crowded elevator bank to the last, I could not help feeling behind. There's no way one person can cover everything at CES and T.H.E. Show unless their area of coverage is defined to include only those companies whose name begins and ends with an X.

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