LATEST ADDITIONS

I have been a proponent of methodical modeling and room analysis as aids in setting up audio systems and rooms. They work hand in hand: Modeling predicts a feasible room arrangement, and analysis, along with careful listening, determines how close the outcome is to that predicted. Of course, there should always be another round of modeling to see if the current setup can be improved with more work. The spiral continues, toward, one hopes, perfection.

I anticipated the installation of the TacT Audio RCS 2.0 room-correction processor with mixed emotions&mdash;I already liked my system and room, and such a device threatened to make all my studied efforts trivial. What if one might use <I>any</I> decent amps and speakers, cables that were merely conductive, and no room treatment at all? And what if, on top of that, you could just put them wherever your significant other thought they looked right? What if all the magic you needed was contained in this box? Scary.

Purchasing some types of components can be time-consuming and complicated, while others are a relative breeze. Is there a particular type of component that is the toughest for you to evaluate and then buy?

The official launch of <A HREF="www.xmradio.com">XM Satellite Radio</A> was set for September 12. But within hours of the September 11 attack on New York and the Pentagon, XM announced that it would be postponing its debut, which was slated to take place in Washington DC at its headquarters and broadcast studio complex.

The terrorist attack of September 11 will likely worsen an already dark period for American retailers. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by more than 14% in the week after the attack, the largest slide since the week of July 21, 1933. In the present circumstances, Americans are generally reticent to spend money, according to many reports, a situation that will affect manufacturers and retailers for months or years to come.

Record producer and <I>Stereophile</I> contributor <A HREF="mailto:jmrcds@jmrcds.com"&gt; John Marks</A> has informed us that classical violinist Arturo Delmoni has agreed to throw his considerable talent behind the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11141/">Audio Charity Auction</A>, organized in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed more than 6000 people.

Music lovers worldwide are mourning the passing of violinist Isaac Stern, who died of heart failure in a New York hospital Saturday, September 22. Stern was 81.