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Chip Stern writes, "There is something enduring and reassuring in the classic audio verities." The <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/284/">Vandersteen 2Ce Signature loudspeaker</A> is certainly considered one of those timeless classics. But how does a speaker released in its first incarnation more than 20 years ago hold up by today's standards? Stern lends his modern ear to the task and includes notes from Richard Vandersteen himself.

At least one media conglomerate has seen the light. In a surprise move, German giant <A HREF="http://www.bertelsmann.de">Bertelsmann AG</A> broke ranks with the music industry and settled its copyright-infringement lawsuit with embattled <A HREF="http://www.napster.com/">Napster</A&gt;, in effect becoming the startup's tentative partner. The deal, reached on October 31, could mark the real beginning of the music industry's move into the Internet age. Bertelsmann is the parent organization of <A HREF="http://www.bmg.com/">Bertelsmann Music Group</A> (BMG), one of the world's major music labels, as well as online music retailer <A HREF="http://www.cdnow.com/">CDnow</A&gt;.

Could this be a record executive's dream come true and the end of the need for watermarking as we know it? <A HREF="http://www.CantaMetrix.com/">CantaMetrix</A&gt; has announced the further development of a new technology, MusicDNA, that the company claims is capable of identifying and tracking the billions of existing as well as new MP3 files on the Internet and providing an exact accounting for the copyright, "thus enabling legal file sharing and linking value-added data to songs."

Is community radio at death's door? More than 1000 churches, schools and community organizations nationwide have applied for licenses to operate 10W-100W FM stations. Despite a strong grass-roots movement, and the support of <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A> chairman William Kennard, the low-power radio (LPFM) movement is about to be buried by the combined weight of the <A HREF="http://www.nab.org/">National Association of Broadcasters</A>, <A HREF="http://www.npr.org/">National Public Radio</A>, and their many friends in the US Congress.

Attention, high-end audio manufacturers ready to crack the exporting nut: The <A HREF="http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA) has just released its "General Guide for the Export of Consumer Electronics," providing a step-by-step process which the CEA says manufacturers can use to navigate the often uncharted and challenging regulatory waters of the export market. According to the CEA, the guide focuses on assisting manufacturers in exporting their products to the South American and Pacific Rim countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. The organization reports that, in a survey of its membership, these countries were identified as primary growth markets of interest.

Back in 1992, Robert Harley's <I>Stereophile</I> review of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/520/">McCormack DNA-1</A> and Parasound HCA-2200 amplifiers (April 1992, Vol.15 No.4) and the accompanying technical measurements piqued my interest. So, with great curiosity, I arranged to borrow a DNA-1 to audition, along with competitive amps from Aragon, Bryston, and PS Audio. They were all a leap ahead of my Adcom GFA-555, but it took an act of great courage to accept that, despite its less-than-stellar measured performance, the DNA-1 was my favorite. The bottom line was that the DNA-1 excelled at driving my Apogee Duettas to make lively and harmonically pure sounds. I bought my McCormack DNA-1 amplifier before I began reviewing equipment for <I>Stereophile</I>, and it still occupies an honored place in my system.

The battle rages on in the audio shops, the pages of <I>Stereophile</I>, and in the online news groups: Subjectivist (relies on direct experience to judge audio quality) versus Objectivist (relies on experimental evidence to judge differences and quality). What are your tendencies?