LATEST ADDITIONS

From the August 2001 issue, we have Michael Fremer's illuminating review of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/394/">Audio Physic Avanti III loudspeaker</A>. Fremer wonders how Audio Physic can top the outstanding price/performance success of its middle-of-the line <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/147/">Virgo model</A> with a speaker that costs twice as much. As Fremer asks, "Is the Avanti twice as good as the Virgo? <I>More</I> than twice as good? Or is it just another competent but undistinguished design?"

Maybe it's because those Yanks are so contentious, but it appears that most of the initial CD copy-protection activity is taking place in Europe (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11113/">previous</A&gt;). Last week, Phoenix, AZ&ndash;based SunnComm announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with <A HREF="http://www.sonopress.de">Sonopress</A&gt; of Germany for implementation of its MediaCloQ technology in manufacturing facilities located all over Europe.

Success can be a two-edged sword. With the Virgo (<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/147/">reviewed in September 1995</A>), Audio Physic created a $5000/pair benchmark product at the midpoint of the company's speaker lineup. While an upgraded, $5800 Virgo is due out soon, the original version will remain in production, its price dropping to $4495/pair&mdash;less than it cost six years ago.

When does cooperation become collusion? When does collusion become anti-competitive? Investigators at the US Justice Department have begun asking such questions in regard to plans by major music labels to make their wares available on the Internet.

As Larry Greenhill states in his review of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/390/">MartinLogan Prodigy loudspeaker</A>, "Electrostatic speakers are my passion." But Greenhill's heard a lot of great 'stats in his time, so he was "both excited and uneasy" when a review pair of MartinLogan's latest arrived in his listening room. He needn't have worried.

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.InterTrust.com/">InterTrust Technologies</A>, which creates Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, and format developer <A HREF="http://www.dataplay.com">DataPlay</A&gt; announced a partnership intended to create a portable media distribution platform for protected content such as music. Universal Music Group, EMI Recorded Music, and BMG Entertainment have all announced that they are planning to release prerecorded music on the resultant DataPlay digital format for use in a variety of consumer electronic devices.

The Music Online Competition Act (MOCA) has won the imprimatur of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), according to an announcement made August 8. The recently-introduced <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11107/">bipartisan bill</A> crafted by Congressmen Chris Cannon (R-Utah) and Rick Boucher (D-Virginia) intends to insure competition in the delivery of online music&mdash;and to preserve music lovers' rights to copy their own recordings for private use.