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More than 70 producers, engineers, and representatives from consumer and professional equipment manufacturers, record companies, and recording studios recently came together in Europe to discuss new ways to promote and establish Super Audio CD. After a two-day conference in London, the attendees say they have agreed to establish the Super Audio Forum to foster a "supportive environment for the exchange of knowledge and marketing information, as well as providing a platform for industry-wide collaboration."

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

In last week's Vote, many readers reported that they had solved their speaker/room problems with a digital equalizer. What do you think about using digital EQ?

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.

Vinyl junkies who missed the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11417/">first official Vinyl Record Day</A> celebration last summer should mark their calendars for Saturday, August 16. On that date, the faithful will again converge in San Luis Obispo, CA's Mission Plaza to gawk at LPs, memorabilia, vintage gear, and to meet classic album cover notables.

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.