Introduction Harman Kardon’s CDR 2 is a true dubbing deck, with a play-only and a separate record/play CD tray, allowing direct dubbing from the play deck to the recording deck. Matching the new sleek and modern styling of Harman Kardon’s new line of electronics, the $699 CDR 2 stands out in a crowd with its brushed aluminum disc trays and buttons. The CDR 2 essentially offers two separate players in a single chassis, with outputs for each deck. Both line level and digital (coax and optical) inputs are provided for the CD-R/CD-RW recording deck. Each tray plays CDs, providing sequential play when both trays are full (known as the single mode). In the dual mode, the decks can play simultaneously for multiroom applications. Entering this product line on the late side, Harman Kardon has made up for lost ground with a feature popularized by the computer industry. Offering 2x and 4x speed recording when dubbing ...

I received an e-mail from a reader on the topic of why Generations X and Y are not audiophiles. There are many reasons. Baby boomers practically invented audiophilia in the late 1960s and 1970s. When Boomer men went to college, the first thing they did was to buy the biggest, badest hi-fi systems they could afford. From there, the addiction for hi-fi gear and new music only grew. In the following years, the high-end companies that own most of today’s market share developed from paternalistic, one-man operations into multi-million dollar companies. This business model lasted nearly until the end of the 1990s, seemingly catering well to an affluent male audience who kept buying more and more audio and video equipment, as well as software.

Introduction The Hales Revelation Three is one of the newest members of the Revelation Series of loudspeakers manufactured by the Hales Design Group. Fitting right in line with Hales' two smaller models and their center channel, it is now possible to exclusively feature Hales speakers in assembling a coherent 5.1 surround system that has some serious punch. Visiting the Huntington Beach, California factory to pick up my review samples, I was warmly greeted by both Paul Hales and Hales' sales and marketing manager Casey McKee who were kind enough to give me a tour of the highly automated plant and explain some of the design philosophies behind Hales' current line of loudspeakers. The Three is a three-way design utilizing a 10 inch woofer of proprietary design, a 4.5 inch midrange and a 1 inch dome tweeter. The cabinets may be ordered in oak, black painted oak, sapele (which looks like rosewood) or natural cherry (which ...