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Kalman Rubinson didn't expect to complete a full review of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/302/">Revel Ultima Studio loudspeaker</A>, planning instead to investigate only the company's F30 (<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/244/">also available</A> in the online archives). But after the Studios ended up spending several months in his home, there was only one honorable option available: 'fess up and submit his true feelings.

Recently, the <A HREF="www.osta.org">Optical Storage Technology Association</A> (OSTA) announced the release of a new CD compatibility specification called "<A HREF="www.osta.org/multiplay">MultiPlay</A>&quot; for the computer and consumer electronics industries. OSTA says that the new specification is intended to ensure that Compact Disc Recordable (CD-R) and Compact Disc ReWritable (CD-RW) discs created on personal computers can also be played in consumer CD and DVD players.

Radio will finally go digital in 2001. Among the oldest analog media, radio will be the last to make the transition, but it should make much faster headway in the market than digital television has. Satellite digital radio broadcasters <A HREF="http://www.xmradio.com/">XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc</A>. and <A HREF="http://www.siriusradio.com/">Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc</A>. are both on schedule to go live in the coming year, aided by partnerships with automakers to make digital receivers available as options in new cars. A strong automotive aftermarket for digital radio receivers is expected, with some industry insiders predicting that the first models will retail at approximately $100 apiece. Both XM and Sirius will offer multiple channels of music, news, comedy, sports, and talk show entertainment&mdash;all for about $10 per month per subscriber.

The Revel Ultima Studios came to me by chance. I'd wanted to review Revel's high-value Performa F-30&mdash;see my <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/244/">May 2000 report</A>&mdash;but the Studio was offered instead. By the time a pair of Studios had arrived, however, the F-30s were also on their way, and the Studios were put on the back burner. Because of the mix-up, I thought the Studios would be freebies&mdash;just listen for a while and send 'em back. I am now obliged to do the honest thing and fess up in public: Many months have passed and the Studios are still here.

In the ongoing audiophile debate over the relative merits of solid-state <I>vs</I> tube amplification, compelling cases can be made for the overall musicality of both methods. And while there's a lot to be said for the dynamic headroom, bass focus, clarity, frequency extension, and silent performance of solid-state gear, it's funny how much you can come to miss the aural verities of tube electronics after a prolonged absence.

Did you get any new gear or music for the holidays?

American radio stations which stream music programming over the Internet may be facing substantial outlays in royalty fees paid to record companies, under a December 8 ruling by the US Copyright Office, a division of the Library of Congress. After months of legal wrangling, the office decided that radio stations are just as liable for such fees as other music sites. "Transmissions of a broadcast signal over a digital communications network such as the Internet are not exempt from copyright liability," the ruling states.