LATEST ADDITIONS

Jon Iverson and I walked into Studio Electric's room at T.H.E. Show not knowing what to expect and stopped short. <I>Whoa</I>, this was different.

Technical Audio Devices, better known as TAD, was showing a speaker that looked disturbingly familiar. It was the same size and seemed to feature the same drivers as TAD's Model-1, but it lacked that speaker's silver hood and upper front baffle. That's because Andrew Jones had come to Vegas with TAD's Model-2, which he said would come in between $35,000 and $40,000/pair.

The Magnep1anar Tympani I that is the subject of this report is already an obsolete model, having been superseded by the Tympanis IA, II, and III that were unveiled at the CE Show in Chicago this past June. Since many of our readers already own Tympani Is, and dealer stocks of them are being sold at a substantial price reduction, the report should still be of interest. We will publish follow-up reports on the newer models as soon as they become available for testing.

There seems to be a fairly common evolution among audiophiles: First, they notice that there is better sound available than they have ever experienced before, so they buy (we hope!) better-sounding equipment&mdash;but sooner or later, upgrading becomes terrifically expensive, while the urge to improve the system remains constant. What to do then?

Most readers of <I>Stereophile</I> are in it to read about great products&mdash;things that make the hobby and art of home sound reproduction exciting. In this respect, reviewers aren't too different&mdash;we love sound reproduction and music in general, and products that help bring this to life are the cat's meow. Reviewers that can't respond with this kind of excitement don't have a place writing for this magazine.

Hah&mdash;I'd like to see the program, that could figure <I>me</I> out!

I just solved your unsolvable math problem.