Audiophiles may bemoan the convergence of computers and high-fidelity equipment, but it's a trend apparently as unstoppable as the earth's progression around the sun.

Does the SLP in the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/204cary">Cary SLP-98P tube preamplifier</A>'s name stand for "sweet little preamplifier"? Art Dudley sets out to determine if Cary's latest version in the SLP preamp series lives up to the moniker.

What's in a name?

Two new companies have formed in recent weeks to bring audiophile cable and connector products to market.

Back in January of 2002, we <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11252/index.html">reported</A&gt; that loudspeaker manufacturer <A HREF="http://www.nhthifi.com">NHT</A&gt; and <A HREF="http://www.deqx.com/">DEQX</A&gt; (then known as ClarityEQ) had begun to co-develop a new line of active loudspeakers using DEQX's custom digital <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10969/index.html">room correction technology</A>. It's two years later, and NHT says it is finally ready to unveil the first speaker system incorporating digital signal processing (DSP) developed during the alliance.

I've been in a nostalgic funk of late. What started it was visiting Golden, Colorado, where I spent my graduate-school days, and seeing all of the changes, not to mention the lecture halls full of kids who couldn't be a day over 12. When I commented on how young the freshmen looked, our host&mdash;a colleague of mine from grad school, now a professor&mdash;responded, "Those are seniors, Brian." I felt a little old.

I've been in a nostalgic funk of late. What started it was visiting Golden, Colorado, where I spent my graduate-school days, and seeing all of the changes, not to mention the lecture halls full of kids who couldn't be a day over 12. When I commented on how young the freshmen looked, our host&mdash;a colleague of mine from grad school, now a professor&mdash;responded, "Those are seniors, Brian." I felt a little old.

I've been in a nostalgic funk of late. What started it was visiting Golden, Colorado, where I spent my graduate-school days, and seeing all of the changes, not to mention the lecture halls full of kids who couldn't be a day over 12. When I commented on how young the freshmen looked, our host&mdash;a colleague of mine from grad school, now a professor&mdash;responded, "Those are seniors, Brian." I felt a little old.

I've been in a nostalgic funk of late. What started it was visiting Golden, Colorado, where I spent my graduate-school days, and seeing all of the changes, not to mention the lecture halls full of kids who couldn't be a day over 12. When I commented on how young the freshmen looked, our host&mdash;a colleague of mine from grad school, now a professor&mdash;responded, "Those are seniors, Brian." I felt a little old.