LATEST ADDITIONS

About a decade ago, I read in <I>Stereophile</I> about the SRC, an add-on remote-control unit manufactured by Acoustic Research. I bought one the next day ('swhat happens when you work across the street from a hi-fi shop). Suddenly I was able to make incremental changes in volume and balance from my listening position&mdash;and let me tell you that <I>that's</I> the way to do it. What a phenomenal difference in realistic dynamics and soundstaging.

<B>The Delevantes: <I>Postcards from Along the Way</I></B><BR> Capitol 8 56179 2 (CD). 1997. Gary Tallent, prod.; The Delevantes, Mike Porter, assoc. prods.; Mike Clute, Peter Miskinis, engs. AAD? TT: 43:34<BR> Performance <B>****&#189;</B><BR> Sonics <B>****&#189;</B>

Bill Eggleston builds speakers because his father did. "My dad always told me that when he started, the only way you could get really good speakers was to build them yourself. We always had drivers and parts around, and I just began building my own so early I can't even remember. Much more important, my father passed on his wide-ranging approach to music. He listened to everything, and he taught me to be open-minded about music."

<B>Steve Reich: <I>Works 1965-1995</I></B><BR> Double Edge, Bang On a Can, Kronos Quartet, Steve Reich and Musicians, Pat Metheny, Sch&#246;nberg Ensemble with Percussion Group The Hague, London Symphony Orchestra, The Steve Reich Ensemble, etc. Judith Sherman, Rudolph Werner and Steve Reich, prod. Paul Goodman, Dick Lewzey, John Kilgore, Rob Eaton, Les Brockman, Simon Rhodes, and Hans Bedecker, eng. DDD. TT: 10:42:06.<BR> Performance <B>****</B><BR> Sonics <B>****</B>

<B>JOHN COLTRANE: <I>Lush Life</I></B><BR> DCC GZS-1108 (CD). 1997. Bob Weinstock, prod.; Rudy Van Gelder, eng.; Steve Hoffman, reissue prod. AAD? TT: 36:39<BR>Performance <B>****</B><BR> Sonics <B>*****</B>

What is the angular separation of your loudspeakers as viewed from your favorite chair? Whatever your answer, it's wrong. Of course I don't mean that it's a factually incorrect answer, just that any single value of subtended angle cannot be ideal for all recordings.

Things are changing rapidly in the world of professional digital audio. After a decade of stability, with slow but steady improvement in the quality of 16-bit, 44.1kHz audio, the cry among audio engineers is now "24/96!"&mdash;meaning 24-bit data sampled at 96kHz. Not coincidentally, DVD offers audiophiles a medium with the potential for playing back music encoded at this new mastering standard.