LATEST ADDITIONS

Maybe Dan D'Agostino was destined to develop and build a line of products distinguished by their sheer might. After all, he grew up just blocks from a natural phenomenon synonymous with power: Niagara Falls. Even today, when the 56-year-old D'Agostino returns to his boyhood home to visit his parents, he enjoys pulling on a pair of shorts and going for a long run in the adjacent park, which resounds with the Falls' unrelenting thunder.

Ten years ago, I'd probably have got pretty good odds from industry insiders on a bet that <I>Stereophile</I> would still be reviewing phono cartridges into the new millennium. Linn's Arkiv B may not be a brand-new design&mdash;I heard my first sample in mid-1997&mdash;but phono-cartridge technology is about as stable as anything in hi-fi today. This <I>Stereophile</I> review is long overdue.

Do audiophiles really love music? Reader David Lockwood wonders if it's really true that audiophiles spend more on their gear than on their music collections. How many discs do you have (combining all formats)?

J. Gordon Holt and various other <I>Stereophile</I> writers are brought together to create the definitive review archive of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/739/">Audio Research SP9 preamplifier</A>. The SP9 review was controversial in its day, and the complete review archives include manufacturer and reader comments.

Arizona-based <A HREF="http://www.rockfordcorp.com">Rockford Corporation</A> announced last week that it has acquired loudspeaker designer <A HREF="http://www.nhthifi.com">Now Hear This</A> (NHT) from Recoton Corporation. Previous Rockford acquisitions include Fosgate, Hafler, Acoustat, and MB Quart. The company says that specific terms of the new agreement are confidential.

The last months of 2002 were uneven ones for electronics retailers. American consumers, apparently trying to stretch their home entertainment dollars as far as possible, patronized discount stores while bypassing more upscale competitors.

Price fixing rumors squashed: On Tuesday, December 23, the US Department of Justice officially ended a two-year investigation of price fixing by major record labels, with a report that it had found no evidence to support any of the allegations. The investigation began in summer 2001 and concentrated primarily on online music service MusicNet, a joint venture by Warner Music Group, EMI Group, BMG Entertainment, and RealNetworks; and Pressplay, a joint venture by Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. The majors had been accused of conspiring to keep startups out of the online music distribution business.