Audio News for September 2, 2014

by | Sep 2, 2014 | Audio News

First Curved Soundbar from Samsung – Samsung now has the industry’s first curved soundbar to go with their 55-ich and 65-inch curved UHD TV displays. The HW-H7500 has a brushed-aluminum cassis, 8.1 channels, two drivers on each side, a wireless subwoofer and a built-in equalizer. It can be controlled with an app on smart phones and tablets and connects to Samsung’s Bluetooth-based TV SoundConnect. It retails for $799.

Texas Instruments Nixes Home UHD DLP Chip – which they say is due to weak UHD projector demand and sparse content availability. They are one of the largest suppliers of micro display technologies for home video projectors, and the hope was that their chip would maximize the potential of UHD’s four-times-better resolution. Meanwhile Sony and Epson have plans for UHD projectors.

RCA Recorded Legacy of James Galway – Sony and RCA are releasing (on 9/16) the complete album collection of the “living legend of the flute” – James Galway, consisting of 71 CDs and 2 DVDs. It is titled The Man with the Golden Flute. Recognized as the supreme interpreter of the classical flute repertory, Galway has crossed all musical boundaries, has performed with the leading orchestras and conductors around the world, won many awards, and has sold over 30 million recordings.  Celebrating the flutist’s 75th birthday, the set features eight of the albums on CD for the first time, and all of them have the original LP covers in miniature. Plus there is a hardcover book with notes and all track listings, plus an exclusive interview. At the same time The Essential James Galway will be released – a 2-CD collection of some of his more enduring recordings.

Addiction in the Orchestra – A new documentary is being aired in the U.K. titled Addicts’ Symphony. It concerns the serious drink and drugs problem in the classical music world. A now-clean AAA-member performer in the documentary says it’s more acceptable to admit frailty in the rock world, but not in the classical, and drink and drugs was a way out for her.

Classical Music Performances of 2014-15 – An Indiana newspaper asked leaders in music to name a few of their can’t-miss classical music performances, keeping in mind that far more people enjoy classical music than are interested in plunking down cash to see a symphony orchestra, opera or chamber ensemble. Among the choices: Roomful of Teeth, Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale (with Wynton Marsalis and text by Kurt Vonnegut), Mozart’s Requiem, The King’s Singers, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3,  Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, Saint-Seans: Carnival of the Animals, and Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique.

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