LATEST ADDITIONS

I don't know who originated the idea of "desert island" recordings. I do know that for many years there was a BBC radio program in the UK that asked celebrities to list their choices. While reading quite a few of those lists, I had the sneaking suspicion that the respondents either hadn't entered fully into the spirit of the task, or were tailoring their choices with a view to what the radio or reading audience would think. (Interior monologue: "I am an anorak-wearing viola da gamba player. Hmmm. <I>Birth of the Cool</I> had better be on my list. <I>London Calling</I>, too, just to be safe.")

In response to last week's question about name brands, many of you mentioned customer service as very important. Do you have an example of outstanding customer service from an audio company?

As some readers may suspect, more music is heard in the automobile than in the home. Taking a clue from this trend, many high-end audio companies are finding their way into your car, and factory installed systems are getting better and better. Examples include the Mark Levinson audio system found in cars from Lexus, the debut of Lexicon's L7 surround system in a BMW at the 2002 CES, Linn's <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11285/">partnership with Aston Martin</A>, Harman's partnership with Mercedes Benz, and the Dynaudio/Dolby Surround systems found in several of Volvo's cars.

John Atkinson has found himself swept away by the expensive speakers from Wilson Audio Specialties, so he set forth to put the company's new, modestly-priced <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/619/">Sophia loudspeaker</A> to the test. JA writes, "The Sophia is all new, from its handcrafted enclosure to its custom-built drive-units."

A soon-to-be-introduced bill in the US House of Representatives could severely alter the legality of behavior so commonplace that most Americans take it for granted.

I never "got" the spurs with which Jimmie Lee Robinson provided a percussive accompaniment to his singing and guitar playing, but I became a fan of Jimmie Lee's when I saw him perform on two successive nights at <A HREF="http://www.acousticsounds.com">Acoustic Sounds</A>' first blues festival in Salina, Kansas in September 1998. His subsequent live appearances at Consumer Electronics Shows and at HI-FI '99, Home Entertainment 2001, and HE2002 on behalf of Acoustic Sounds' associated <A HREF="http://www.analogueproductions.com">APO label</A>, were highlights of those events. (I took the accompanying photo at Jimmie Lee's May 31 <A HREF="http://www.homeentertainment-expo.com">HE2002</A&gt; gig in New York with harmonica player Wild Child Butler.)

With this review I conclude an audiophile's progression through the price/performance ratios of three very musical solid-state integrated amplifiers: the NAD C370 ($699, reviewed in January 2002), the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/516/">Arcam DiVA A85</A> ($1499, February 2002), and now the Simaudio Moon i-5 ($2595). In the process I was fascinated to hear how each amp recommended itself to its targeted price point. Likewise, it was most instructive to hear how they spread their compromises around. With a rough doubling of suggested retail price from the NAD to the Arcam, there was a degree of sonic refinement introduced. However, the leap in improved sound from the Arcam to the Simaudio was more significant. And in quantifying the benefits another $1000 worth of enhancements can confer, I discovered what constitute real high-end bona fides.