<A HREF="http://www.cedia.com">CEDIA</A>, <A HREF="http://www.montecarlogameroom.com">Monte Carlo Game Room</A>, and <I>Audio Video Interiors</I>, <I>Home Theater</I>, <I>Stereophile Guide to Home Theater</I>, and <I>Stereophile</I> magazines challenge you to "Get in the Game" as they host this year’s Elf Foundation Charity Raffle and Blackjack Tournament at CEDIA Expo 2002.
"I wouldn't characterize my life as 'a search for bigger and better toys,' but I <I>am</I> intrigued by interesting things—like the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/648/">Impact Airfoil 5.2 loudspeaker system</A>," says Brian Damkroger as he steels himself for another review. BD goes in search of an answer to the Airfoil dilemma: "big toy, new toy, neat toy, better toy?"
John Atkinson gets his hands on "the very strange-looking" <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/643/">MBL 111B loudspeaker</A> to determine how "upper-frequency drive-units resembling an array of orange segments" could possibly sound. As JA discovers, thinking different can sometimes be a plus.
"You'd be hard-pressed to find a company more protective of its reputation than Krell," says Wes Phillips, as he heads off to evaluate the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/638/">Krell KAV-300<I>cd</I> CD player</A>. WP ponders whether that reputation is still intact as the company tries to save its customers some money.
Chip Stern heads this week's list with an evaluation of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/633/">NAD C370 integrated amplifier</A> from the January 2002 issue. With the units priced to sell, at $699, CS wants to know if the C370 can satisfy audiophiles as well as budget-conscious shoppers.
We start our survey of small speakers with Robert J. Reina's review of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/628/">Paradigm Reference Studio/20 loudspeaker</A>. "Impressive right out of the box" is how Reina charaterizes the two-way design, which gets an in-depth review and also a May 2002 followup from Robert Deutsch.
Satellite radio is poised to become a dominant force in the 21st century. Both <A HREF="http://www.xmradio.com">XM Radio</A> and <A HREF="http://www.siriusradio.com">Sirius Radio</A> are now in full operation, with subscriptions booming and compatible electronics available at dealers nationwide.
Taking the measure of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/624/">Chord Electronics DAC64 D/A processor</A>, John Atkinson finds nice things can come in strange packages. "Such is the pace of development in digital technology these days that it is hard not to become convinced that digital playback is a solved problem." But, as JA discovers, not all solutions are identical.
The <A HREF="http://www.nab.org">National Association of Broadcasters</A> (NAB) has initiated its planned appeal of a ruling by the Librarian of Congress that establishes a royalty rate for all Webcasters, including traditional radio stations that stream their programming on the Internet.
John Atkinson has found himself swept away by the expensive speakers from Wilson Audio Specialties, so he set forth to put the company's new, modestly-priced <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/619/">Sophia loudspeaker</A> to the test. JA writes, "The Sophia is all new, from its handcrafted enclosure to its custom-built drive-units."