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Some people believe that high-end audio is mostly fluff whose cost, compared to standard professional studio electronics, is not justifiable. Moreover, they argue, if the music has been piped through any number of studio devices before it gets to your home, you can't expect to get more out of it than the studio devices will pass. Just as the argument is made about the final 6' of power cord, how can one Over-The-Top device make up for the foibles of those that precede it?

We like to think that high-end audio is different because we take the time to audition how musical a piece of equipment is. But, in reality, we don't often first listen to everything we buy. Have you ever purchased a component before listening to it?

Memorial Day is the traditional beginning of summer. This year, it will mark a new chapter for <A HREF="http://www.klipsch.com">Klipsch Audio Technologies</A>.

Michael Fremer investigates the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/774/">Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifier</A>, exclaiming, "The 5-to-1 ratio of cost to retail price suggests that the "raw" cost of the JC 1 is about $600&mdash;a number almost impossible to believe, given the superb build quality and sheer heft of this powerhouse monoblock." And then there is the sound.

The quest to secretly track music fans continues: <A HREF="http://www.philips.com">Royal Philips Electronics</A> and <A HREF="http://www.digimarc.com">Digimarc</A&gt; announced last week that they have signed a new agreement that extends the licensing of Digimarc's digital watermarking patents to include audio applications as well as a broader range of video applications.

Start policing your employees' use of file sharing networks or we sue you. That was the threat from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to Fortune 1000 companies last week as the organizations announced the publication and distribution of a guide "to assist US companies in preventing copyright abuse on their computers and networks."

Oh, I talk a good game when it comes to the whole music-lover-<I>vs</I>-audiophile thing. But I admit that when it comes to record players, I'm just another hardware junkie. I love turntables and tonearms for more than the musical enjoyment they give me. Turntables and tonearms are my favorite toys.