Tony, a mechanic friend of mine, once ran down for me his "national characteristics" theory of automobile engineering. Germans, he said, love precision engineering but don't take repair into account, so their engines are always placed in wells so perfectly proportioned that skinned knuckles are inevitable. British cars, he said, are marketed to a nation of tinkerers, hence the existence of dual carburetors. And Italian cars? "Well, let's just say they all resemble espresso makers." <I>He</I> said it&mdash;and he <I>was</I> the proverbial Fiat mechanic named Tony.

Tony, a mechanic friend of mine, once ran down for me his "national characteristics" theory of automobile engineering. Germans, he said, love precision engineering but don't take repair into account, so their engines are always placed in wells so perfectly proportioned that skinned knuckles are inevitable. British cars, he said, are marketed to a nation of tinkerers, hence the existence of dual carburetors. And Italian cars? "Well, let's just say they all resemble espresso makers." <I>He</I> said it&mdash;and he <I>was</I> the proverbial Fiat mechanic named Tony.

Tony, a mechanic friend of mine, once ran down for me his "national characteristics" theory of automobile engineering. Germans, he said, love precision engineering but don't take repair into account, so their engines are always placed in wells so perfectly proportioned that skinned knuckles are inevitable. British cars, he said, are marketed to a nation of tinkerers, hence the existence of dual carburetors. And Italian cars? "Well, let's just say they all resemble espresso makers." <I>He</I> said it&mdash;and he <I>was</I> the proverbial Fiat mechanic named Tony.

All right, it's time for a pop quiz in Loudspeaker Design 101. Answer the following, and justify your answer.

All right, it's time for a pop quiz in Loudspeaker Design 101. Answer the following, and justify your answer.

All right, it's time for a pop quiz in Loudspeaker Design 101. Answer the following, and justify your answer.

All right, it's time for a pop quiz in Loudspeaker Design 101. Answer the following, and justify your answer.

All right, it's time for a pop quiz in Loudspeaker Design 101. Answer the following, and justify your answer.

Back in 1992, <I>Stereophile</I> got into the business of concert promotion when it booked Canadian pianist Robert Silverman for two evenings of recitals in order to record his performances for a live double CD, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/315"><I>Concert</I></A&gt; (STPH005-2). We don't believe in rushing to repeat a success, so 15 years later, on February 10, we're promoting another concert, this time featuring <A HREF="http://www.myspace.com/attentionscreen">Attention Screen</A>, the quartet led by <I>Stereophile</I> reviewer and jazz pianist Bob Reina.