LATEST ADDITIONS

<B>K.D. LANG: <I>Hymns of the 49th Parallel</I></B><BR>
Nonesuch 79847-2 (CD). 2004. k.d. lang, Ben Mink, prods.; David Leonard, John Morrical, engs. AAD? TT: 47:24<BR>
Performance <B>****&#189;</B><BR>
Sonics <B>****</B>

<I>Stereophile</I> is devoted to getting the best sound from a home audio system. But as I have <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/533">written before</A>, audiophiles don't have access to an <I>absolute</I> sound, only to what has been captured in the pits or grooves of their discs, which is itself the result of a creative process. The playing back and the making of recordings are therefore two sides of the same coin. This is why I get actively involved in recording projects and why I publish articles about those projects, the most recent of which appears on p.50. "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/804k622">Project K622</A>" describes the making of a new recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto (work number 622 in the K&#246;chel catalog of Mozart's compositions, hence the article's title), which is being released both on hybrid SACD and on 180gm vinyl. (You can buy both from our secure "<A HREF="https://secure.stereophile.com/stereophile/recordings.shtml">Recordings…; page.)

The lacquers from which LPs are pressed are cut in a straight line, and that's how the LP groove should be traced. Even when set up perfectly, a pivoted arm describes an arc across the disc surface, maintaining tangency to the groove at only two points on that arc. Yet despite numerous attempts at building and selling linear-tracking tonearms, few remain on the market, and most are fraught with technical problems. Linear-tracking arms can be anything <I>but</I> linear, committing more sins of geometry as they meander across the record surface than do their pivoted brethren.

It's true&mdash;you never forget your first love. And no, I'm not talking about little Jackie Lynn Neeck in my second-grade class when I was seven years old. I still remember her, almost as vividly as I remember my first encounter with a fantastic stereo system, and therein hangs a tale.

Now there are four. The music industry's "Big Five" record labels officially became the "Big Four" on Thursday, August 5, as Sony Music Entertainment and Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) finalized a merger months in the making. The partners are the music divisions of Sony Corporation and German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, respectively.

From 2000, Brian Damkroger checks out the seductive <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/1000oracle">Oracle CD player</A>, commenting, "I couldn't help but wonder if the Oracle's sonic performance would be as unique and spectacular as its looks."

Once again, audiophiles can help themselves and others at the same time by participating in The Cable Company's ninth annual "Summer Against Hunger" campaign. <A HREF="http://Usedcable.com/">The Cable Company</A> and a wide cross-section of its vendors (listed below) have set up a program by which up to 10% of The Cable Company's August sales are donated to <A HREF="http://www.careusa.org/">CARE</A&gt; and the <A HREF="http://www.theirc.org/">International Rescue Committee</A>, with contributions to be used to assist the worldwide disaster relief efforts of those humanitarian organizations.