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"Its first audible resonance is effectively above 20kHz&mdash;that's above the operating range of some <I>tweeters</I>."

I've always said that cables might be the most important component in a system&mdash;after all, without 'em, you don't get much sound out of the whole schmear. <A HREF=http://www.avegasystems.com">Avega Systems</A> is doing its best to make a liar out of me with its Oyster wireless loudspeaker.

If one component is omnipresent this year, it's the iPod. You may find this hard to believe, but there are actually companies making iPod accessories these days&mdash;actually, it's hard to find companies that aren't.

Basically, the press conference day is crowded and noisy and pointless. Even worse, they play irritating techno music at you for what seems like hours.

To be honest, I didn't give it much of a chance. I mean, especially after Jim <a href="http://www.thielaudio.com/">Thiel</a>'s captivating presentation on the new CS3.7, the Philips press conference seemed like so much noise and swirling lights and fake boobs.

It's amazing.

Through a process that R. Luke Dubois has dubbed "time-lapse phongraphy," you can listen to all of <I>Billboard</I>'s number one singles since 1958. Playing a "spectral average" of each piece, lasting one second for each week it charted, the 857 songs create a spacey collage.