Archives for September 1996

Chatsworth, CA. Classical music, audiophile and audio-book software distributor DCC Compact Classics, Inc. has reported its financial results for the second quarter of its fiscal year, ending June 30, 1996. Sales were $1.22 million, as compared to $1.08 million for the quarter ended June 30, 1995. The increase in sales was largely due to broader distribution and a change in the company’s product mix.

Gross profit margins declined to 44% in the quarter, with a net loss of $8,000. DCC attributed the loss to increased work related to product returns and inefficiency caused by changing distributors.

“We believe we are through our transition period in having changed our distribution system from a group of independent distributors to a national distribution company,” said Marshall Blonstein, President and CEO. “We continue to expect 1996 third and fourth quarters to be profitable with increased sales.”

Plymouth, MA. CD and magnetic media manufacturer Kao Infosystems marked the official opening of a new 65,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art compact disc manufacturing plant today with a ribbon-cutting and open house.

The CD facility is now the largest such operation in the U.S. northeast. It employs 150, incorporates the most advanced CD production equipment, provides a full range of CD mastering services, and operates 16 production lines. The building was previously used as Kao’s east coast distribution center, which has now moved to Lakeville, MA.

“With the addition of this new CD plant, we will be able to further reduce our customers’ cycle-time-to-market, consolidate and lower our cost of operations, and strengthen our long-term position in the market place,” commented Peter McGuirk, President and CEO.

Kao now boasts over 336,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space in Plymouth, situated on 86 acres of land. Kao Infosystems also operates CD production facilities in Fremont, CA and Arnprior, Ontario (Canada).

San Diego, CA. American Technology Corp. (ATC) is reporting progress in the development and enhancement of its innovative new speakerless sound reproduction technology.

ATC’s HyperSonic Sound™ (HSS) technology was invented by Elwood Norris. According to Norris, demonstrations at the company’s lab over the past few weeks have been getting rave reviews from industry insiders. “The most frequent reaction from the hundreds of people who have experienced HSS is one of astonishment,” says Norris.

“HSS is an entirely new method of sound reproduction,” he continues. “Sound is literally generated in air directly, without the need for loudspeakers, by inaudible ultrasonic waves that interact in space to produce audible sound. In the past, vaguely similar methods have been attempted, but always without success. we are demonstrating previously unknown techniques to industry experts who agree that what we have is fundamentally new.”

ATC’s proprietary patent-pending technology is compatible with existing audio recording and broadcasting techniques. It uses none of the elements of traditional loudspeakers, and the company claims that sound quality is no longer tied to speaker size. ATC also claims to have demonstrated the ability to manipulate the apparent point source of sound using HSS.

“We plan to take the HyperSonic Sound demonstration on the road during October to introduce the HSS experience as a compelling alternative to conventional loudspeakers,” commented Robert Putnam, President and CEO of ATC.

“In addition to home and mobile systems, we believe HSS has applications in multimedia, cinema, stadiums, concert halls, telephone headsets, answering machines, as well as a growing list of specialty niche applications. We have been overwhelmed by the initial industry response and are diligently proceeding with our exploitation strategy.”