The Sound Room

All Things Vinyl, April 5, 2010: Classic Records: Still in Business?

by Oliver Amnuayphol

What is going on with audiophile reissue outfit Classic Records these days? Their supply has been very low for almost a year, new reissues are few and far between, and all of the major audiophile vinyl e-tailers--Acoustic Sounds, Music Direct, Elusive Disc, and Soundstage Direct--are declaring Classic titles as "Out of Production--Get 'Em While You Can!" Moreover, Classic's distributors are all over the interwebs reporting that Classic is indeed folding up shop. However, Mike Hobson, head honcho of Classic Records, recently emailed customers denouncing these rumors; instead Hobson states in the email that Classic titles are thin on the ground because they are simply shifting their business focus and will no longer be handling distribution of their wares--that job now belongs to Acoustic Sounds (who apparently also purchased all of Classic's remaining stock). But even well before Hobson announced the distribution change, nearly all Classic titles, via Acoustic Sounds and other e-tailer's websites, have almost doubled in price, while the rarer birds now cost more than 3 - 6 times their original retail price. Ouch.

So then: Why would the big e-tailers suddenly and drastically increase prices on Classic titles--and claim said titles are no longer in production--if their manufacturer is not going out of business? It's unclear how, if indeed Classic is still solvent, a change in their distributorship prompts these events, but that's the story they're sticking with. So now people on various forums are asking questions like "Will Classic press more copies of their current catalog? Do they even still hold the proper licenses to do so? Will there be any new reissues announced? If so, will they be reasonably priced again?" If nay is the answer to all of these questions, then this truly could be your last chance to purchase many of Classic's classic titles--but will audiophile enthusiasts still be eager to buy them? I'm not so sure. As regular readers of ATV have no doubt noticed, I've always been a huge fan of Classic Records from both a music lover's and an audiophile's perspective: They almost always reissue top-notch albums that have been remastered for even more-gooder musically meaningful mojo, earning my unqualified recommendation over their equivalent major label counterparts. And while I'm sure that still holds true, prices on Classic Records vinyls are so high now that I'm no longer buying 'em over regular pressings when I'm out a huntin' fer some licorice pizzas. And apparently other audiophiles are responding the same way, as it looks like many of the Classic titles are still widely available through the various e-tailers mentioned above.

I don't know about you, but for an analog-luvin' working stiff like me, spending $33 per album (or $50 per 45 RPM set) instead of $15-18 for the standard LP was already a significant expense. But now that most 33 1/3 Classic titles are priced anywhere between $50 -$100 (and some 45 RPM titles are over $250!), for some folks I imagine it's a no brainer: buy the standard issue LP for a lot less money, or treat yourself to a Lorry-load of regular pressing LPs for the same price as a single Classic Records 45 RPM deluxe set. For example: I recently picked up an LP and CD bundle of John Coltrane's Blue Train for less than $20 from Amazon; compare that to the 45 RPM Classic Clarity at $150 from Acoustic Sounds, and that's a major savings--the bundle set me back only about 13% of the Classic's cost! And buh-leeve yoo me, there's nothing wrong with the sound. Sure, it probably doesn't sound as good as the single-sided, hand-crafted 45 RPM Clarity pressings, but I don't feel like I'm missing anything or that my experience of the music is diminished in any way. Instead, I'm just diggin' on the music I got, and enjoying the fact that I bucked up lot less scrilla to get it.

So how about it? Anyone else out there finding some fab-tastic vinyls on the cheap? Have you stopped buying Classic pressings because of the price increase? Or maybe found other sources for 'em at the old prices that you'd like to share? Leave a comment, share the knowledge. Power to my record buying peeps! 

Home Theater Week in Review, June 29 - July 3, 2009: New Pioneer Elite and Integra Receivers.

by Oliver Amnuayphol

This week, some new A/V receiver hotness: Pioneer recently announced four new Elite receivers for '09, dubbed SC-25TXH ($1700), SC-27 ($2000), VSX-21TXH ($700) and VSX-23TXH ($900) The former two models feature ICEPower technology, while the latter duo utilize more traditional class A/B amplification. What's more, the SC-25 and SC-27 also feature high quality Burr-Brown ADCs and Wolfson DACs for superior processing and performance. Perhaps most significant however is the SC-27's THX Ultra2 Plus certification--an industry first for a class D amplifier--and its internal Burr-Brown 192khz, 24-bit sample rate converter chipset. All four receivers will of course include onboard processing for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA,  and 1080p HDMI 1.3 ins/outs. The VSX-21TXH and VSX-23TXH will be available this month; look for the SC-25TXH and SC-27 in August.

Integra has also announced two new A/V receivers, the DTR-30.1 ($799) and DTR-20.1 ($599). Both models feature 7.2 channel connectivity and 2-zone control/operation in addition to some CI friendly features, like bi-directional RS-232 and Ethernet ports for third party control systems, 3 programmable 12-volt triggers and dual IR inputs. Of course, Integra rounds out the DTR-30.1 and 20.1 with a fine feature set: Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, and Dolby ProLogic IIz processing; 1080p, HDMI 1.3a connectivity; and 1080i upscaling. Both receivers available now.

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: Knowing; Push; Peanuts: 1960's Collection; The Unborn; Lonely are the Brave; Coco Chanel; Beau Geste; Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes; Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves; Night Train; Near Dark; Five Fingers; A Day in the Life.

Blu-ray: Knowing; Push; The Deep; The Unborn; Grumpy Old Men; Night Train; The Universe: The Complete Season Two (History Channel).

Home Theater Week in Review, April 27 - May 1, 2009: Audyssey DSX; GE Holographic Storage Disc.

by Oliver Amnuayphol

5.1 channels not enough for you? Think 7.1 is already too antiquated? If Dolby's recent announcement of Pro Logic IIz and its required height channels didn't set your heart a pitter-patter, then Audyssey's new DSX matrix surround tech surely will: their new extrapolation format adds front width channels (placed at an ideal +/- 60 degrees from the viewer) for a total of 9.1 surround channels, providing a more realistic front soundstage and improved surround envelopment. With some folks already having a tough time finding room for a 7.1 system, it'll be interesting to see how many HT enthusiasts can practically implement PLIIz and Audyssey DSX.

Get ready for the wave of the future in physical media storage: GE recently announced a breakthrough disc technology utilizing holographic storage that's capable of storing up to 500 gigabytes of data. You read that right folks: nearly half a terrabyte of quality audio/video goodness, or ten times more than Blu ray's 50GB. Sure, GE's holographic discs won't be a cost effective reality for quite some time (current playback/recording machines are estimated at 18 G's a piece!), but with 4K HD resolutions and 3D home video being future entertainment possibilities, who knows how far down the hi-res rabbit hole we can go? You can read all about GE's mad scientist tech here.

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Enchanted April; Last Chance Harvey; Incendiary.

Blu-ray: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Twilight; Grease; Dexter: The Complete Second Season; Last Chance Harvey; Ferris Bueller's Day Off; Incendiary; It Could Happen to You; Ip Man; The English Patient; The Illusionist.

Home Theater Week in Review, April 20-24, 2009: Panasonic Plasma Line; Best Buy Recall; Warner DVD on Demand

by Oliver Amnuayphol

 

Panasonic recently held their 2009 line show, presenting nearly 25 new flat panel HDTVs. The Viera line consists of both plasma and LCD displays with improved picture quality over comparable models from last year with five lines making up Panasonic's new plasma mix, dubbed Z1, V10, G10, S1 and X1. All feature NeoPDP energy-saving tech and 1080p moving picture resolution (except for the entry level X1 series) at very reasonable prices. What's more, all NeoPDP panels are capable of an astounding 40,000:1 native contrast ratio with half-life at 100,000 hrs; the top three series--Z1, V10 and G10--all feature THX-certification and appropriate cinema reference picture settings. The nod for the most stunning set of the bunch however goes to the TC-P54Z1 ($5999 and the only Z1 designated model thus far) for its svelte 1" thick form, RF remote, and WiHD connectivity to its separate hook up/processor box. Look for the P54Z1 to be available this June.

Speaking of TVs, if you bought a Best Buy house-branded Insignia flat panel, watch out: apparently Best Buy has issued a recall on some of their 26" sets due to the power supplies catching fire. So yeah, kinda serious. You can get details of the recall here.

Ever spent countless hours searching for your favorite movies on DVD, only to find out they've never been released on said format? What's up with that? With DVD being so mature, you'd a thunk darn near  everything's been released at one time or another on this now low-tech format; I can't even begin to tell you how long I've been hoping and praying for Captain Sinbad to be released on disc so I could own and watch a copy (yep--I'm a sucker for cheesy Sinbad movies, what can I say?). Well praise be the Movie Archive Gods at Warner, who've ingeniously created the "Warner Archive Collection," an on-demand service where you can request a freshly-pressed DVD copy of your favorite, never-before-released Warner, RKO, or MGM title shipped straight to your door for the low cost of $19.95 plus shipping. What's more, you can also request a digital download copy for $14.95. And you better believe I've already got my copy of Captain Sinbad on the way, word. Get all the deets on this killer program here.

Movie Releases for Last Week.

DVD: Frost/Nixon; The Wrestler; Notorious; Glass; Rhoda: Season One; Mulligans; Hellraiser Boxed Set; The Last Word; How About You; Shangri-La.

Blu-ray: Frost/Nixon; The Wrestler; Notorious; X-Men Trilogy; Sin City; Hellraiser; The Arrival; The Last Word; Arctic Tale.

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD:Bride Wars; Hotel for Dogs; In the Realm of the Senses - Criterion Collection; The Uninvited; Martyrs; The Hit; Nothing But the Truth; What Doesn't Kill you; JCVD.

Blu-ray:Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1; The Reader; The Da Vinci Code; In the Realm of the Senses - Criterion Collection; Bride Wars; Hotel for Dogs; The Uninvited; Hotel for Dogs; What Doesn't Kill You; Purple Rain.

Home Theater Week in Review, March 2-6, 2009

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Some more industry downturn news this week: Industry veterans NHT announced they'll be taking  a hiatus from the speaker business to reorganize and make plans for future product developments. Citing a need to re-examine their current business model and changes in consumer demand, NHT felt the time was right to take a step back. NHT co-founder Chris Byrne noted NHT is not going out of business and  are determined to start up production again sometime in 2010 with re-focused and refreshing products. Existing inventory will be sold via its current distributors and dealers. We wish Chris and company all the best, and hope they can get back to business as usual real soon. A competitive speaker industry is a healthy one, and one that's certainly better for the consumer.

 

We talked a bit about the boss Black Diamond series from SI Screens in a previous Week in Review post, and now they've released versions 2 of said screens with improved picture quality, higher contrast ratios, and a wide variety of sizes. You can read all about them here.

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: Australia; Beverly Hills Chihuahua; Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic; The Return of Man from U.N.C.L.E.; Wonderful Town; East of Eden; Dr. Who: The Key of Time; Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares; Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947 - 1986; Lake City; Scarlett Johansson Collection.

Blu-ray: Australia; Beverly Hills Chihuahua; Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic; NFL Superbowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers Champions; I've Loved You So Long; In the Electric Mist; Silence of the Lambs.

 

Home Theater Week in Review, February 16-20, 2009: Plasma TV Woes

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Tough economic times + dwindling flat panel margins = bad news for plasma display TV manufacturers: Pioneer recently announced they're pulling out of the plasma flat screen business by 2010. In a bid to curtail losses, Pioneer started outsourcing manufacturing of its panels to Panasonic last year to no avail. The company's flat panel division  had been losing money since 2004 and expects to reduce its workforce by 16 percent, focusing instead on its home and car audio, DJ gear, and cable STB business sectors.

Vizio also recently announced they're getting out of the plasma game, citing neglible price differences and dwindling popularity when compared to LCD panels. This is truly sad news for fans of plasma's superior picture quality; while Vizio's plasmas have never been cutting edge, they've always been a good value, and their exit means home theater fans are now left with only three plasma manufacturers--LG, Panasonic and Samsung. Let's hope this trio will keep the fires a burnin.'

 

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: NFL Superbowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers Champions DVD; Summer Heights High; Breaking Bad - The Complete First Season; Iton Weed; Oliver Twist; WWE: Royal Rumble 2009; The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show, Vol. 7 and Vol.8; Painted Lady; The Matador. 

Blu-ray: Akira; The French Connection 1 and 2; Vanishing Point; Samurai 7 - Box Set; Zulu; What Just Happened?; Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970; Friday the 13th Part 2 and 3; The Fog; Hurricane on the Bayou; Freedomland; Ronin; Hounddog.

 

Home Theater Week in Review, February 2-6, 2009: Free Vizio LCD, DTV Transition

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Flash! Vizio wants you to get your mitts on a new flat panel TV for free! That's right--we're talking exactly 0 ducats for some HDTV luvin. Turns out Vizio ain't really feelin' the recessionary pinch like the rest of us Plebes and have decided to share the wealth by giving away 500 55" LCD TVs worth a million bucks. Each week, one lucky home theater nut will be drawn at random for said prize from Feb 23 until Aug 31 '09. And word on the street is the new Vizios are mighty boss indeed: Ultimate AV recently reviewed the 50" Vizio LCD, pretty much proclaiming it the best value flat panel ever! You can enter for your chance to win here.

 

Looks like some of you loyal Week in Review readers heeded my words last week concerning the DTV bill by calling your congressional reps: On Wednesday both chambers of Congress voted 264-158 in favor of delaying the DTV transition until June 12 '09. So hooray! Chalk one up for the procrastinators--even if there's only 8 in 10 of yooze: According to research conducted by the National Association of Broadcasters, 82% of you analog boob tube diehards out there are already on board with the whole digital thang. Regardless, any chance to make sure everyone gets on board before legacy broadcasting goes dark can only be a good thing. Oh--and don't forget to pick your DTV set top box n' coupon if you haven't already; you can get a coupon here.

DVD: Nights in Rodanthe; W; Miracle at St. Anna; The Paradine Case; The Inauguration of Barack Obama on CNN; Frozen River; The Lodger; The Guitar.

Blu-ray: Nights in Rodanthe; W.; Miracle at St. Anna; Raging Bull; Pretty Woman; Amadeus; The Boondock Saints; Donnie Darko; The Pelican Brief; A Time to Kill; Soulmen; The Rundown.

 

Home Theater Week in Review, December 29, 2008-January 2, 2009

by Oliver Amnuayphol

In these tough economic times, folks gotta do what they can just to survive. No surprise then that, this week, there's news of industry consolidations, cutbacks, and mergers to report on: First up is news that Panasonic will be merging with Sanyo, the former gaining a controlling interest over the latter. This should help boost Panasonic's presence in the lucrative (yes, lucrative) batteries business--especially those for electric cars of the future.

In other merger/acquisition news, seems Funai is expecting a $332 million boost to their DVD and Blu ray operations courtesy its April purchase of Philips' North American DVD and Blu ray operations. Long a category leader when it comes to low-cost, high-efficiency manufacturing, Funai's move will also allow Philips to focus on their higher-margin and profitable electronics categories.

Sony has reported they will be shutting down their last remaining U.S. TV factory, the second of five total plant closures. Production will cease next month, while complete shutdown is slated for 2010. 560 employees will lose their jobs, will company wide lay-offs totaling 8000. Hot on the heels of Sony's announcement came word that Sharp will also be closing two Japan-based plants, eliminating nearly 400 jobs, with company-wide lay-off counts totaling approximately 16,000.

 

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: Pineapple Express; The Tudors - Season 2; Righteous Kill; Bangkok Dangerous; Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations Collection 3; The Alphabet Killer; The Grocers' Son; Imax Ultimate Collection; Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way.

Blu-ray: Pineapple Express; Righteous Kill; Bangkok Dangerous; The Last Emperor; Babylon A.D.; Dexter: The Complete First Season; Friday Night Lights; Last Legion; Miss Potter; Butterfly on the Wheel; Wedding Crashers.

Home Theater Week in Review, December 8-12, 2008

by Oliver Amnuayphol

 

Wow--not sure how I missed this one, but here it is just in case you didn't know, either. Way back in September, Sony began rolling out their updated ES line of receivers with five new models: The STR-DA6400es ($2500); STR-DA5400es ($2000); STR-DA4400es ($1500); STR-DA3400es ($1000); and the STR-DA2400es ($800). New line standard features include an improved Xross media bar interface modeled after the PS3/PSP with improved on screen display and GUI and digital media port. And like every ES receiver of yore, all models in the line are packed with feature goodness--like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio; 1080p upconversion courtesy Faroudja DCDi processing; and internal DSD decoding (4400 and above). What's more, all have at least 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs, with the top three models boasting 6 (!) inputs for all your future hi-res needs. Full line available now.

And speaking of new-to-me Sony goodness, looks like they also debuted a brand new, ES-level SACD   player in September, the SCD-XA5400es($1500). Besides being Sony's first high end SACD spinner since the XA9000es, the 5400 is also the first unit of its kind equipped to send pure, multi-channel DSD over HDMI. And if a recent review posted on techradar.com is to be believed, the 5400 is indeed the bee's knees: even better than the 9000 they say, at half the price. Respect. The XA5400es is most definitely available now.

Ever had those times when you're all up in that football game on the tube and feeling the hunger pangs? Last thing you want is to interrupt that game to make some grub. What to do? Well praise be the timeshift gods at TiVo who be feelin' your pain: Now you can order a hot Domino's pie straight from your TiVo service--how cool is that? What's more, this service is absolutely free to all broadband connected TiVo subscribers. Halle-freakin'-lujah. Click the link here for full details.

 

Movie Releases for this Week.

DVD: The Dark Night; Horton Hears a Who!; A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All; Deadwood: The Complete Series; Swingtown--The First Season; Peter and the Wolf; Europa--The Criterion Collection; Flow; Lost: The Complete Fourth Season.

Blu-ray:The Dark Night; Horton Hears a Who!; Dumb and Dumber; Jet Li's Fearless; Super Troopers; The Mask; Dodgeball; A True Underdog Story; From Dusk Til Dawn; Ray Charles: Live at Montreaux 1997; Tori Amos: Live at Montreaux 1991 & 1992; 13 Ghosts; Concert for Diana; The Rundown; Sin City.

Movie Releases for Next Week.

DVD: Mamma Mia! The Movie; Burn After Reading; The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor; The House Bunny; The Women; Death Race; The Traitor; The Official Review of the FIA Formula One Championship; Moto GP 2008 Official Review; Mushi-Shi: The Complete Series.

Blu-ray: Mamma Mia! The Movie; Burn After Reading; The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor; The House Bunny; The Women; Death Race; The Traitor; The Third Man; Bottle Rocket; Chunking Express; Death Proof; Into the Wild; Old School; Tommy Boy; The Heartbreak Kid; Hot Rod; Nightmare on Elm Street; Hannibal; Gigi; 50 First Dates; Knight's Tale; Hostel; Kung Fu Hustle.

 

Cedia '08- Receivers, Processors and other fun electronics.

By Caleb Denison

The best part about Cedia for me has been the ability to take a look at some of the latest electronics from all the best manufacturers. See here the Yamaha RX-Z11, Yamaha's flagship receiver model. Need some connections? The Z11 has them. It's also extremely hefty, which you might expect from Yammy's top of the line model. Now... if I can just get my ears on this thing! 

Denon was also representin' with their new line-up of receivers. See here the Denon AVR-3808ci which promises to be extremely popular this year due in no small part to the fact that, well, it's made by Denon.

The sexy-as-all-get-out-at-least-as-far-as-receivers-are-concerned award goes to..... Marantz. I'm not sure exactly what it is-maybe the curvacious edges that we're starting to see a lot of these days-but me likey!!!

That's the SR6000, by the way. You should probably go buy one to go along with your Aperion Audio speaker purchase... right now.