LATEST ADDITIONS

Trying to get a grip on where the new high-end audio formats, DVD-Audio and SACD, might be going? A logical place to start might be to check with the factories getting ready to crank out the discs and see how the orders have so far stacked up. After conducting just such a survey, the <A HREF="http://www.recordingmedia.org">International Recording Media Association</A> (IRMA) released last week the first projections for next year's worldwide marketplace introduction of DVD-Audio and SACD.

In recent years, format-driven commercial radio has pushed opera off its playlists. The few remaining classical stations concentrate on the standard symphonic repertoire with only an occasional foray into opera, to the dismay of the genre's many fans.

One by one, the name brands of audio are confronting the difficult issue of whether or not to take their products online. Recent brands to join the club include Roksan, Chord Electronics, Harman/Kardon, and PS Audio. Now it's time to add one of audio's deeply rooted loudspeaker marques, Celestion, to the list.

Some of us collect gear from way back, while others have just updated their entire systems. How far back does your equipment go? Anything collectible?

High-end digital audio's rapid advancements are pushing integrated circuit designers to exceed their previous limits. San Diego-based <A HREF="http://www.akm.com/">AKM Semiconductor</A> has joined the chip elite with two new digital-to-analog devices that further push the performance envelope. The AK4394 is a 24-bit/192kHz stereo DAC based on Asahi Kasei Microsystems' advanced multi-bit delta-sigma technology. Its sibling, the AK4356, is a 24-bit/192kHz, six-channel DAC based on the same technology, but boasting a useful and fascinating array of features.

Hoping to "forever alter the way people shop for medium to high-end home entertainment products," KnowledgeLINK has launched its e-commerce website, <A HREF="http://www.getplugged.com/">GetPlugged.com</A&gt;, which it claims will "educate and entertain consumers, and seamlessly link them with the nation's best A/V specialty retailers and custom installers." The site offers what it calls "a highly informative, fun, uniquely interactive shopping experience for the audio-video consumer."

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.ibm.com/harddrive">IBM</A&gt; announced a new device that it says will allow mobile users to add an extra 10 gigabytes (GB) of hard-drive capacity to their notebook PCs. Why is this important to audio fans? IBM is intending the new drive, called the Travelstar E, to primarily appeal to those wanting to take extended music libraries with them on the road.