LATEST ADDITIONS

Internet service providers (ISPs) have begun fighting back against the blitzkrieg of lawsuits launched by the <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America</A> (RIAA) in its struggle to contain the file-sharing phenomenon.

From the August issue, Robert Deutsch gives the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/901/">Audio Research VS110 power amplifier and SP16L line preamplifier</A> the full treatment. RD reveals how he finds products to review, and more importantly, what he found appealing in the ARC amp and preamp.

August is shaping up as a great month for audiophiles and good causes. The Cable Company's annual "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11704/">Summer Against Hunger</A>" campaign is in full swing, and <A HREF="http://www.rockfordcorp.com">Rockford Home Group</A> has announced that the first production unit of the 50 limited-edition FAP V1 vacuum-tube surround processors (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11711/">previous</A&gt;) will be auctioned via eBay with proceeds donated to charity.

<B>LED ZEPPELIN: <I>How the West Was Won</I></B><BR> Atlantic 83587-2 (3 CDs). 2003. Jimmy Page, prod.; Eddie Kramer, orig. eng.; Kevin Shirley, reissue eng.; Drew Griffith, asst. eng. AAD?. TT: 2:49:51<BR> Performance <B>****&#189;</B><BR> Sonics <B>***</B>

For those who frequent the audio discussion groups on the Internet, the method by which Stereophile selects products for review seems to be a continuing source of fascination and conjecture. Supporters of fledgling manufacturers—whose products these Webcrawlers just happen to own—rail against the rule that products to be reviewed in the magazine must have at least five US dealers. Some suggest that Stereophile's selection of review products is all about catering to advertisers and friends in the industry, a process that seems intended to exclude their favorite products from consideration.

Perhaps it's the air in San Francisco, or more likely the fact that exhibitors and attendees were equally upbeat, but I came back from <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11672/">Home Entertainment 2003</A>, held at the grand old Westin-St. Francis Hotel days before I write this month's column, <I>jazzed</I>. I was one of 15,123 consumer, international press, and trade attendees, according to the official stats, and we were treated to more than 100 exhibit rooms showing and demonstrating 225 brands of audio and home-theater gear. <I>Stereophile</I>'s full report on what we saw and heard at the Show will appear in our September and October issues, while our web coverage can be found starting <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11662/">here</A&gt;(footnote 1).

SACD and DVD-Audio have brought multichannel music back into the mix for many audiophiles. However, without an official digital connection standard in place, consumers must contend with multiple cables and then find a preamp designed to manage the analog signals and send them to various amplifiers.