LATEST ADDITIONS

In <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//artdudleylistening/801/">my column</A> for <I>Stereophile</I>'s March issue, I criticized a handful of records for combining very good sound with very bad music. A few readers expressed dismay, wondering what gave me the right to call music good or bad, especially since virtually all music is loved by someone (its mother?). But as far as I know, the magazine received a total of zero letters wondering what gave me the right to call <I>sound</I> good or bad. Hmmm.

<I>The mind of man, when he gives the spur and bridle to his thoughts, doth never stop, but naturally sallies out into both extremes of high and low.</I>&mdash;Jonathan Swift

Last January, the <I>Stereophile</I> website conducted a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/showvote.cgi?236">poll</A&gt; asking readers what they thought was their audio system's weakest link . The results indicated that 24% thought that their room was the most problematic component. What this says is that, though often accused of being obsessed with hardware, we audiophiles <I>are</I> aware of what a potent effect the speaker-room setup has.

Brian Damkroger ponders the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/878/">Class&#233; Omega monoblock power amplifier</A>. "The Class&#233; Omega is expensive, costing $25,000/pair," notes BD. But he also finds the amp a "drop-dead-gorgeous, massive, industrial-art chunk of aluminum and steel set off with a subtle mix of curves, contours, finishes, and textures." And then there is that Class&#233; sound.

The owners of Spanish website Puretunes.com are the latest to feel the wrath of the <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America</A> (RIAA) in its campaign to rid the world of unauthorized music. The site's parent company, Sakfield Holding, will defend itself against a lawsuit filed July 3 in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The accusation: providing illegal downloads.

Whether or not online file-trading has had an effect on compact disc purchases <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11643/">positive</A&gt; or <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11679/">negative</A&gt;, a new report published by the <A HREF="http://www.ifpi.com">International Federation of the Phonographic Industry</A> (IFPI) indicates that the real problem facing the music industry worldwide is that fewer and fewer of those CD purchases are of the real thing.

IPOs are jumping and the Nasdaq is up&mdash;some mid-summer economic indicators point toward a recovery, but you wouldn't know it from retail reports. Circuit City, Good Guys, and Harvey Electronics are singing the blues, while discounter Costco is whistling all the way to the bank.