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The word <I>chancellor</I> derives, believe it or not, from the Italian word for wooden latticework, <I>cancelli</I>. In the church architecture of sixth-century Rome, a latticework screen demarcated an area near the altar where deacons or priests would stand, waiting to assist the principal celebrant as needed. In English, this area became known as the <I>chancel</I>. In consequence, a trusted assistant came to be known as a <I>chancellor</I>. In the High Middle Ages, that title was given to the cleric who would correspond on behalf of and maintain the archives for an important churchman, such as a bishop.

One of the nicest surprises at any audio show is encountering a new&mdash;to me, at least&mdash;manufacturer whose products seem to stand out from the competition. At the 2002 Consumer Electronics Show, one such standout was the Kirksaeter line of loudspeakers from Germany. I spent quite a few minutes listening to and enjoying the performance of these modestly sized and priced speakers, but since my writing assignment was electronics, I tucked the experience away in the back of my mind and moved on.

Rogue Audio's Magnum Ninety-Nine tubed preamplifier is derived from the original Rogue Sixty-Six that I <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/289/">reviewed in October 2000</A>. The Sixty-Six was designed to offer consumers a taste of high-end performance in a vacuum-tube line stage. By constrast, the Magnum Ninety-Nine's pedigree is pure audiophile, with a more sophisticated mu-follower circuit topology aimed at the purest expression of performance.

Rumors persist that, in addition to SACD/CD hybrids, DVD-Audio/CD hybrid discs are on their way. How important is this to you?

The past year has been a busy one for Hilary Rosen, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She suffered a <A HREF="http://tirian.magd.ox.ac.uk/~nick/UnionDebate/">humiliating defeat</A> at England's <A HREF="http://www.oxford-union.org">Oxford Union Debates</A>, celebrated <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11548/">new agreements</A> with Silicon Valley companies, and led her organization in the attack on file-sharing service Kazaa. Rosen and the RIAA have also attacked college kids and put pressure on universities to police their students.

People are often unaware that they might benefit from industry- or union-sponsored funds or participate in class-action settlements. In early January, we were notified of a fund for session musicians with over $3 million still unclaimed, and of a procedure enabling consumers to collect a small share of the payout from the "MAP" (minimum advertised price) <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11461/">lawsuit</A&gt; that was settled by the music industry last year.

With the February issue hitting newstands, it's time once again to honor those twirling discs that also made our heads spin, with "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//records2die4/754/">2002 Records To Die For</A>." <I>Stereophile</I>'s staff and writers all check in with their eclectic batches of musical heaven.