Doug Schneider

6 days ago | philanthropydaily.com | Doug Schneider

You may have noticed in the past week or few: the market—and economy—haven’t exactly been smooth sailing. What’s a nonprofit to do when a formerly bullish market starts to growl? You may have seen your blood pressure rising. You may be fielding frenzied calls from colleagues, board members, donors. You may be looking at your budget dolefully, wondering what programs you’ll inevitably have to cut.

2 weeks ago | soundstagehifi.com | Doug Schneider

For nearly 80 years, the US dollar (currency code USD) has been the cornerstone of global finance. After World War II, the USD became the world’s reserve currency and has since served as the standard currency for international trade. It has become the dominant currency for monetary transactions in global capital and commodity markets. Backed by both the size and strength of the US economy, the US dollar has established itself as stable and reliable and has gained near-universal recognition.

1 month ago | soundstagehifi.com | Doug Schneider

If you regularly read this monthly column or frequent our YouTube channel, you are likely aware of our ongoing globetrotting quest for primary-source material for our websites and videos. Frequently, the SoundStage! Network’s video team and I travel across North America and Europe to visit hi-fi companies, talk with key personnel, and learn about and listen to review-worthy products. We hope to expand our travel scope to Asia soon as well.

2 months ago | soundstagehifi.com | Doug Schneider

When the Compact Disc was released to the public in 1982, it seemed unimaginable that music encoded on a disc could one day be transmitted wirelessly, as we experience today. It seemed equally unimaginable that it could be stored on a server thousands of miles away and played back nearly instantaneously in the home, as now happens with streaming services. This was a time when physical media not only dominated the market, but was the only option for high-fidelity playback.

2 months ago | soundstagehifi.com | Doug Schneider

Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here. Most hi-fi enthusiasts agree that the 1970s can be considered the golden age of the stereo receiver, which is essentially an integrated amplifier with a radio-reception capability. Stereo receivers were everywhere back then. By the 1980s, however, as separate components gained popularity, stereo receivers fell out of favor.