LATEST ADDITIONS

I had an epiphany the other night. (Hope Rabbi Lichtenstein won't be too upset.) Kathleen and I were watching the Antiques Road Show on PBS, and, during a break, I started channel-surfing. I know, it's obnoxious—but I feel compelled to hop around and keep up the sense- and info-pounding barrage we've come to take for granted and, in fact, rely on. In a way, channel-surfing is a perfect symptom of our information-overload society: click Geraldo, click Robin Byrd, click Jazz Channel, click Weather Channel. We're bombarded, we're inundated, we're . . . let's face it, we're overwhelmed. The Internet, e-mail, phone calls—lots of information, and little time to process it.

It looks as if the release of DVD-Audio players will be delayed by several more months. Any comments about the situation?

Time does fly when you're having fun, and it's hard to believe that the <I>Stereophile</I> website is two years old&mdash;so it's time for a party and some presents!

As reported last March, loudspeaker manufacturer Von Schweikert Research closed its doors after a disastrous flood hit the factory (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10413/">previous report</A>). Many thought this was the end of the story, but last week, Dr. Edward Gonzaga, of the Gonzaga Investment Group, announced the formation of a new version of the company, to be named <A HREF="mailto:albertvonn@aol.com">Von Schweikert Audio</A>.

Last August, we <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10515/">reported</A&gt; that brick-and-mortar retailer Tweeter Home Entertainment Group had aligned itself with online retailer Cyberian Outpost to leverage each company's respective strengths, both on- and offline. The trend continues as, last week, brick-and-mortar retailer <A HREF="http://www.harveyonline.com">Harvey Electronics</A> announced that it has reached an "agreement in principle" with <A HREF="http://www.coolaudio.com">CoolAudio.com</A&gt; (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10479/">previous story</A>) to merge the two companies through an exchange of common stock.

Since 1992, Stereophile has named a select few audio components its "Products of the Year." In doing so, we recognize those components that have proved capable of giving musical pleasure beyond the formal review period.

One of the delights of being published by a multinational conglomerate that grows through acquisition, as Emap Petersen does, is that <I>Stereophile</I> finds itself in interesting company. Like <I>La Nouvelle Revue du Son</I> in France, for example, edited by the legendary Jean Hiraga, who turned me on to the sonic importance of wires and passive components almost 25 years ago. And <I>Mojo</I>, an English music magazine tightly targeted on baby boomers like me, who bought their first stereo systems in the '60s to better appreciate the progressive rock we lived and loved by. (I wonder if turn-of-the-millennium college students gather 'round a new G4 Mac to get off on MP3s the way, 30 years ago, we gathered 'round our precious vinyl.)