LATEST ADDITIONS

Last week we touched on the importance of reliability in an audio product. What have been your real-world experiences? How reliable have your audio purchases been?

The possible approaches to any technical problem range from trial and error to first-principles physics. Then there's the "purist" approach&mdash;the simplest, most direct way to meet the challenge. Often, the purist approach doesn't pan out because of such phrases as "we need 60 tons of molten gold" or "can we cool the entire building to absolute zero?" But in the world of high-end cables, the purist approach <I>is</I> viable, and is exactly where you find Jeffrey Smith.

Morten Lauridsen's magisterial work for chorus and orchestra, <I>Lux aeterna</I>, appears in a fresh new recording, in truly excellent sound, on England's Hyperion label. The vocal ensemble Polyphony is accompanied by the Britten Sinfonia; both are led by Stephen Layton. Better yet, in addition to the CD-only version, there is a separate SACD/CD hybrid release (Hyperion SACDA67449), meaning that it is backwardly-compatible with CD players. Furthermore, the SACD layer contains a surround-sound program in addition to the stereo one.

Attacking the compact disc has lately become almost a blood sport among audiophiles and audio writers. Not a month goes by that I don't read&mdash;often in <I>Stereophile</I>&mdash;some vehement statement about how CDs are a musical abomination.

Since March, Sony BMG has released "at least 10 commercial titles" employing XCP2 technology developed by UK-based antipiracy company <A HREF="http://www.first4internet.co.uk/">first4Internet</A&gt;. Sony BMG claims that the 10 titles represent "over one million units," but the company steadfastly refuses to specify which titles have XCP2.

Forget SACD vs DVD-Audio or even DualDisc. DRM, or digital rights management, has become the biggest audio format issue this year, and will likely continue to be for the next several years. At stake is the future of all consumer interactions with, and uses of, copyrighted digital media.

Telarc's stunning hybrid multichannel SACD of Jennifer Higdon's <I>City Scape</I> and <I>Concerto for Orchestra</I> has received the 2005 OutMusic Award for Outstanding New Instrumental Recording. The disc has also received the 2005 Grammy for Best Engineered Classical Recording (well-deserved by Jack Renner) and 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Orchestral Performance (equally well-deserved by Higdon champion Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra).