Ken C. Pohlmann

Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date
Grace Notes
Movie Premiere: Rush
Leslie Shapiro,  |  Sep 27, 2013
The year is 1976, when sex was safe and racing was dangerous. The Formula One World Championship is up for grabs, and it’s a grudge match. British race driver James Hunt goes mano a mano with Austrian race driver Niki Lauda, both driving pedal to the metal, with absolutely no margin for error and loving every minute of it. As Hunt explains, “The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel.” Director Ron Howard accelerates out of his comfort zone, and you’re sitting beside him, on the ride of your life.

Continue Reading >
Signals
Mozart: Pure Genius
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  May 22, 2023
Mozart was a genius. Blah, blah, blah. You've heard it a million times. Well, whatever, if people say he was a genius, that's fine. But how would you like to watch a 5-minute video that shows why he was a genius? Right there – black notes on the white page – you can see exactly what genius looks (and sounds) like.

Continue Reading >
Other Tech
MP3 Portables
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jan 08, 2006

Samsung YP-Z5 flash-memory MP3 player

You will be surprised to hear that there weren't any new MP3 players at CES. Just kidding - checking to make sure you were paying attention. There were a few players on display - like maybe ten zillion. And they were all pretty desirable, naturally with the higher-priced models sporting the highest capacities.

Continue Reading >
CES 2016Signals
MQA Launches Content and Teams with Hardware Makers
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jan 05, 2016
MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) is continuing its march toward sonic superiority. It announced that new partners will provide MQA content, and that HTC is demonstrating a smartphone equipped with a "proof of concept" MQA decoder.

Continue Reading >
Signals
Mr. Redenbacher, Meet Mr. Ford
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Mar 29, 2016
Depending on how long you keep your cars, it's entirely possible that your next car will drive itself. Even if you're two years into a three-year lease, given the furious development of autonomous technology, self-driving cars are a fait accompli. But more to the point, given the interests of this site's readers, self-driving cars open the door to entirely new kinds of vehicle entertainment systems. Case in point: this patent recently issued to Ford.

Continue Reading >
Signals
Music Contra Instagram
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Nov 22, 2021
Hang on a minute while I check my receiver's front panel..... Okay — as I suspected, it doesn't have a switch that limits the amount of time I can spend listening to music.

Continue Reading >
Signals
Music Metadata Smackdown
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Sep 18, 2023
Classical music has a problem. A tiny company, and the world’s largest technology company, both think they have the answer. They are strapping on their powdered wigs and stepping onto the podium. May the best baton win.
Continue Reading >
Other Tech
Music's Ray of Hope
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 02, 2008

Congratulations! Way to go! You, the consumer, picked Blu-ray Disc over HD DVD as the high-def disc format of the future. And now, instead of two formats, we have one. Like it (those with cool, futuristic Blu-ray gear) or not (those with obsolete HD DVD junk), Blu-ray is the new world standard.

Continue Reading >
Signals
Musicboarding: The Latest Form of Airline Torture
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 05, 2022
Waterboarding is a harsh interrogation technique. Most governments have disavowed and unsanctioned its use. There is a title for a Tom Cruise movie in there somewhere. In any case, waterboarding is essentially a form of torture. And a certain airline likes to waterboard its passengers. But instead of water, they use music. And musicboarding is much, much worse.
Continue Reading >
Signals
My KEF Speakers Sound Much Better than Amazon Echo, But They Can't Save Me From Dying
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 09, 2019
You are asleep in your bed. You suffer cardiac arrest. Your smart speaker calls for help. It may save your life.

Continue Reading >

Pages

X