LATEST ADDITIONS

Readers are constantly telling us that downloaded audio files suck. I tend to agree with them.

Dating was murder, especially in the months just before I met my wife. I knew some nice women back then, many of whom were good-hearted and others of whom were beautiful. One was both, and talented, too: She gave me presents for no reason and wrote tender things in cards with pictures of sweet meadows or the sea: <I>My love goes on and on</I>, they said. But for whatever reason, I just couldn't love her back, and Oh! how the shit hit the fan the day I told her so. I meant it as a respectful act of honesty and forthrightness; she took it as a cowardly act of rejection, and responded in a manner that would forever remind me of Maggie bouncing the rolling pin off Jiggs's head while calling him an insect. That day, I learned two things: 1) women are unlearnable; and, 2) honesty, while an unassailably good thing in and of itself, makes a poor tool, mostly because it lacks a safety handle.

Clearly, there are plenty of our readers who love vinyl. But what, in terms of time used, is the most important source component in your system?

<A HREF="http://www.siriusradio.com">Sirius Radio</A> has added an entertainment industry heavyweight to its board of directors.

Wes Phillips slips into his well-worn flame-proof underwear as he bravely introduces audiophiles to the musical merits of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/934/">Apple iPod</A>. WP finds he likes living at the edge of audio trendiness, exclaiming, "Holy cow! I'm running with the fashionistas! Can I still be an audiophile, too?"

It was John Atkinson, that legendary ornithologist, who first pointed it out: "Have you noticed how frequently you see women using the iPod?"

Digital formats come and go, but quite a few audiophiles still have a vinyl record player in their system. Do you?