Audio News for April 19, 2013

by | Apr 19, 2013 | Audio News

Three Important Names in Audio industry Pass – Three very important people in audio passed away recently. First is Edward T. Dell, Jr. who published AudioAmateur, AudioXpress, Speaker Builder and Glass Audio magazines. He began his DIY publications after writing an article for Gordon Holt’s Stereophile magazine in 1966 on building a super amplifier for the perfectionist. The feedback from Stereophile readers was negative, so Dell started his own publication. He had studied theology and had an Episcopal Master of Divinity degree. But he had a passion for music, which fueled his interest in audio. He loved to foster relationships among his contributors.

Larry Klein, who died in January, was the technical editor during the best years of Stereo Review magazine. He had been an electronics service technician, and check out components that came in for review before sending them to Julian Hirsch for testing. They both shared a pragmatic audio worldview. Despite being exposed to the latest audio gear, he owned a fairly simple stereo system and believe in repair rather than replacement. The third name in audio who has passed on is the inventor of what was once the most highly-regarded portable tape recorder in the world, the Nagra. He was Stefan Kudelsi, and brought out the 11-lb.original Nagra in Switzerland in 1951.  It was named after the Polish word for recording. His recorders were a standard for movie production, for the U.S. and German spy agencies, were carried on several Mt. Everest expedition, and went 38,000 feet below the Pacific with Jacques Piccard.

Conductor Sir Colin Davis Dies –  The noted figure in British musical life passed away at age 85. He had been the longest-serving Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra in its history. He also had relationships with the Royal Opera House, The BBC Scottish Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra. His recordings have inspired music lovers around the world, and he was a specialist in Berlioz, Mozart and Sibelius.

Library of Congress Concerned About Preservation of Recorded Sound – The Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Board has worked for a decade on recommendations involving infrastructure, preservation, access, education and policy strategies relating to recorded sound. The board is made up of representatives from pro organizations of composers, musicians, musicologists, librarians, achivists and the recording industry. They said many interlocking issues threaten the longterm survival of our sound-recording history, including lack of storage capacity, preservation expertise, changing technology, and disparate copyright laws on historical recordings. They said that major areas of our nation’s recorded-sound heritage have already been destroyed or remain inaccessible to the public. Their National Recording Registry is one step in the process of preserving the U.S. recorded musical heritage.

Home Tech Market Turning Around – The Consumer Electronics Association concluded a recent State of the Builder Technology Market Study observing the installation of various technologies in new homes in 2012 reached or exceeded 2008 levels. 92% of new homes were equipped with broadband cable, and 23% of new homes in 2012 had a dedicated home theater room—up 10% from 2010. 70% of new homes had structured wiring and monitored security was part of 44% of new homes. A spokesperson said that these figures show that some home technologies have made the transition from luxuries to standard options.

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