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Retailing can be a rough ride even in the best of times. In the current climate, it’s especially hard for those trying to make a go of it with recorded music.

<A HREF="http://www.liquidaudio.com">Liquid Audio</A> has been under attack for most of its short life, first from competitors and then from <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11144/">its own shareholders</A> and corporate raiders. But the tumultuous journey may finally be coming to an end as the company reports that it is settling some of its lawsuits and shareholder claims while selling its remaining assets.

Hilary Rosen's 17-year tenure with the <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America</A> (RIAA) will come to an end this year.

The word <I>chancellor</I> derives, believe it or not, from the Italian word for wooden latticework, <I>cancelli</I>. In the church architecture of sixth-century Rome, a latticework screen demarcated an area near the altar where deacons or priests would stand, waiting to assist the principal celebrant as needed. In English, this area became known as the <I>chancel</I>. In consequence, a trusted assistant came to be known as a <I>chancellor</I>. In the High Middle Ages, that title was given to the cleric who would correspond on behalf of and maintain the archives for an important churchman, such as a bishop.

One of the nicest surprises at any audio show is encountering a new&mdash;to me, at least&mdash;manufacturer whose products seem to stand out from the competition. At the 2002 Consumer Electronics Show, one such standout was the Kirksaeter line of loudspeakers from Germany. I spent quite a few minutes listening to and enjoying the performance of these modestly sized and priced speakers, but since my writing assignment was electronics, I tucked the experience away in the back of my mind and moved on.

Modern hi-fi is little more than a way of getting electricity to pretend that it's music. Of course, good source components remain all-important, and even if loudspeakers <I>are</I> imperfect, most of us can find one or two that suit our tastes, if not our rooms and the rest of our gear.

Rumors persist that, in addition to SACD/CD hybrids, DVD-Audio/CD hybrid discs are on their way. How important is this to you?