LATEST ADDITIONS

I’m wearing my blue blazer today. It’s almost like velvet, but not quite. Elizabeth complimented me on it when I walked in. Thank you, Elizabeth.

<I>First Annual P2P Litigation Summit:</I>: On November 3, the Northwestern University School of Law will host the one-day First Annual P2P Litigation Summit, sponsored by Privacy Resolutions, P.C. and Electronic Frontier Foundation.

<I>Peter Madnick, alchemist:</I> Designer Peter Madnick is bringing new life to a classic audio marque with his new Alchemy² line of components. The reference, for audiophiles with short memories, is to the now defunct Audio Alchemy line, for which he designed so many products. Alchemy² employs Madnick's original engineering staff and has established a goal to "address the enthusiast market with cool little boxes designed to solve problems and enhance system enjoyment." That sounds familiar.

Although some won't openly admit it, plenty of audiophiles with nice systems also own iPods. And they are not alone. According to figures recently revealed by the <A HREF="http://www.CE.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A>, more than 152 million Americans, representing 70% of the total US adult population, own some kind of portable entertainment device.

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra announced the launch of its new e-label, MSO Classics, on October 4. In a worldwide digital distribution deal with IODA, the Independent Online Distribution Alliance, the symphony will draw on its archive of over 300 live performances recorded between 1970 and 2005 for airing on its nationally disseminated radio broadcasts.

Loudspeaker manufacturer Boston Acoustics made its name&mdash;and its fortune&mdash;building high-performance but low-cost speakers. Indeed, I recently set up a modest system for my mother-in-law that was based on Boston's classic A-40&mdash;a two-way design that sold for just $160/pair back in 1986&mdash;and was very pleasantly surprised at the quality these little speakers offered. Back in the early '90s, however, the Massachusetts-based company announced that they were taking a step into the High End with a new loudspeaker line, the Lynnfields (see Thomas J. Norton's interview with Boston's Andy Kotsatos elsewhere in this issue). These were designed by expatriate British engineer Phil Jones, previously responsible for the impressive Acoustic Energy speakers.

Richard Shahinian has been offering loudspeakers to music lovers for more than 15 years. I use the word "offering" here in its strictest sense, because Dick has never "sold" his products&mdash;by pushing them. Indeed, he is probably one of the worst self-promoters in the business. If we think of "soft sell" in the usual context of laid-back and low-pressure, then Shahinian's approach would have to be called "mushy sell."