LATEST ADDITIONS

The best tonearm I ever heard was a second-generation Mission Mechanic, <I>ca</I> 1986. It was mounted on a Roksan Xerxes turntable, and I spent several happy hours listening to records on that combination (with a low-compliance EMT cartridge) in two very different systems: one with solid-state amplification from DNM and Roksan's own dynamic Darius loudspeakers, and the other&mdash;my home system of the time&mdash;using tube amplification from Conrad-Johnson and a borrowed pair of Stax electrostatic speakers.

I was trading e-mails with Roger Sanders, manufacturer of the Eros Mk.III electrostatic (ESL) loudspeakers, when it occurred to me to ask him about his name. I was struck that he had the same last name as Gayle Sanders, president of another American electrostatic speaker company, MartinLogan. Were they related? "No," replied Roger Sanders, "it's simply a coincidence that we have similar names. I've never even met him.

We all know that audio is not a beauty contest, but still, looks do count. Leaving sound quality aside for a moment, what would you suggest as the most stunning <I>looking</I> piece of audio gear you've ever seen?

A month after news of Apple Computer's start-up subscription music service, reports began circulating that the company was negotiating to buy Universal Music Group, the dominant player in the global music market. The rumored buyout, first reported April 10, was variously quoted at $5&ndash;6 billion. The discussions between Apple and UMG may have been blown out of proportion; by April 12 the <I>New York Times</I> was suggesting that Apple might invest in UMG, but was in no position to make an outright acquisition.

If a recent announcement by the nation's largest radio broadcaster is any indication of a trend, independent music promoters may be on their way to extinction.

Michael Fremer <I>almost</I> grasps upsampling when he looks into the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/814/">dCS Verdi SACD transport, Purcell D/D converter, and Elgar Plus D/A converter</A>. MF notes, "Explaining what you get for your $34k is somewhat easier than explaining upsampling, but due to the dCS gear's enormous flexibility and multitude of features, it's not <I>that</I> much easier."

The music industry is facing its toughest business climate in recent memory, and slow sales are hurting not only the record labels, but music retailers as well. In the face of continuing sales declines, store closings, mergers and consolidations, layoffs, and seemingly intractable digital distribution issues, the industry came together last month for its annual <A HREF="http://www.narm.com">National Association of Recording Merchandisers</A> (NARM) convention and trade show in Orlando, FL.