LATEST ADDITIONS

One of my best friends is a serious jazz collector with a side interest in good replay gear. The last time we got together over a meal, he asked, "What do you think is <I>really</I> the most important component in an audio system?" He might have added "these days": It's a subject we come back to from time to time.

In the September 2001 <I>Stereophile</I> (Vol.24 No.9), I wrote very favorably about Polk's <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/417">RT25<I>i</I&gt; loudspeaker</A> ($319.90/pair). That bookshelf model impressed me with its open, neutral midrange; its pristine, extended high-frequency response; and its low-level dynamics. On the minus side, the RT25<I>i</I> was fairly limited in low-bass extension and high-level dynamic slam. At the time, I was seeking a new speaker for my home computer music-composition system, and I bought the review samples&mdash;the only time I've done that since I began to write for <I>Stereophile</I> some 20 speaker reviews ago.

Back in the late 1980s, when I was writing for The Abso!ute Sound and couldn't afford any of the audio gear I was reviewing, my system consisted of an Oracle turntable with Magnepan unipivot arm, a pair of Spica TC-50 loudspeakers, and a heavily modified Hafler DH-200 power amp and DH-101 preamp. It was a fun system that imaged like hell, but my fondest audio memories of that time were of visiting fellow TAS reviewer Dr. Michael Gindi, who lived on Manhattan's West End Avenue, and listening to his mbl speakers. (With his shrink's paycheck, he could afford them.)

Skyrocketing ticket prices kept summer concertgoers away in droves, according to reports in the entertainment industry and financial press in mid-October. The summer 2004 concert season was one of the slowest ever, with some superstars canceling shows and others moving planned arena or amphitheater events into smaller venues. Previously one of the summer's most popular events, the Lollapalooza tour was cancelled due to slow ticket sales.

The iPod is being very good to Apple Computer.

Both Macrovision and Sunncomm have been releasing technologies aimed at restricting how consumers can use their legally purchased music and movies. Add <A HREF="http://www.dmsNT.com/">Dynamic Media Solutions</A> to the pack.

Forget about the sound quality this time. What was your favorite disc this year on musical merit alone?