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Robert Deutsch asks, "How can you tell an audiophile from a normal person?" RD's answer involves the name of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/296/">Vienna Acoustics Mahler loudspeaker</A>, which Deutsch reviewed for the April 2000 issue of <I>Stereophile</I>. Deutsch writes, "I find Gustav Mahler's music to be on the ponderous side, but when I heard the Vienna Acoustics Mahlers at HI-FI '99, I was sufficiently impressed that I began the process of getting a pair for review." The results of his careful listening are not ponderous at all.

Charles Hansen said it best, in a recent e-mail: "People have been holding back from criticizing this technology because they weren't certain that some new discovery hadn't been made." Ayre Acoustics' main man was talking about "upsampling," whereby conventional "Red Book" CD data, sampled at 44.1kHz, are converted to a datastream with a higher sample rate. (Because of its association with DVD-Audio, 96kHz is often chosen as the new rate.)

No question that most audiophiles who read <I>Stereophile</I> are concerned about the performance of their home systems, but what about their car systems?

DVD-Audio is getting a big push from <A HREF="http://www.technicsusa.com/">Panasonic</A&gt; this season. A promotion running from November 7, 2000 until January 31, 2001 includes rebates on the purchase of new players and free discs from a wide assortment of performing artists.

Recordings more than 100 years old can now be heard on the Internet, thanks to a <A HREF="http://www.mp3.com/oldest">new program</A> established by San Diego-based startup <A HREF="http://www.mp3.com/">MP3.com</A&gt;. Among the sonic treasures is Thomas Edison narrating a "phonographic trip around the world" recorded in 1888. The site offers copies of Edison cylinder recordings and early 78 rpm discs, all available for free.

Widely known for its consumer electronics products and musical instruments, <A HREF="http://www.yamaha.com">Yamaha</A&gt; actually got its start making pianos 100 years ago. To celebrate this milestone, as well as the 300th anniversary of the piano, the company is introducing its first CD player-equipped, "high-tech" player piano that, it claims, is capable of "singing" along with its piano performance.

First up is <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//features/294/"><I>Stereophile</I>'s 2000 Products of the Year</A>. This is an important resource for readers, and <I>Stereophile</I> editor John Atkinson has once again decided to post this oft-requested article in our online archives in the same month the original appears in the paper edition.