Consider the lowly spork, that modern marvel of versatility: half spoon, half fork. In theory, you should be able to eat just about anything short of a flank steak with it. But the sad fact is, whether you're eating soup or salad, you might as well try to shovel it in using a tongue depressor. The damn thing's so versatile, it almost doesn't work at all. There's a lot to be said for specialization.

Consider the lowly spork, that modern marvel of versatility: half spoon, half fork. In theory, you should be able to eat just about anything short of a flank steak with it. But the sad fact is, whether you're eating soup or salad, you might as well try to shovel it in using a tongue depressor. The damn thing's so versatile, it almost doesn't work at all. There's a lot to be said for specialization.

<I>Stick it in your wall:</I> Polk Audio has introduced three new subwoofers aimed at the custom installation market. The $600 CSW88 is a sealed in-wall model featuring dual 8" long-throw, shallow-basket woofers mounted behind a metal pressure plate. Its enclosure is constructed from MDF with 1/8" aluminum panels. It is designed to fit within standard stud-wall construction, measuring 60" (H) by 13.5" (W) by 3.5" (D). Rather than a grille, the CSW utilizes a vent, which, not at all coincidentally, measures the same as a standard 10" by 4" heating vent. Inputs on the top and bottom of the enclosure simplify wiring.

Convinced that your favorite music would have sounded even better if <I>you'd</I> been the mixing engineer? UmixIt Technologies is going to let you put your money where your mouth is.

Audio equipment manufacturers want as few restrictions as possible when designing new products. Audio content providers, on the other hand, seem hell-bent on locking down any music you buy tighter than Fort Knox.

Audiophiles know there is no better reason to travel abroad than to attend a hi fi show in a foreign city. I'm only half kidding. With dozens of shows, most open to the public and scattered across every continent, what better way to see the world?

Our December 2004 issue honored 56 contemporary audio products that <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/1204poty">stood out from the pack</A> during the course of the year. Of those 56, fully nine were phonograph components (footnote 1), including one&mdash;the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/analogsourcereviews/1103linn">Linn Sondek LP12</A> turntable&mdash;that's been on the market for something like a hundred years.

Our December 2004 issue honored 56 contemporary audio products that <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/1204poty">stood out from the pack</A> during the course of the year. Of those 56, fully nine were phonograph components (footnote 1), including one&mdash;the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/analogsourcereviews/1103linn">Linn Sondek LP12</A> turntable&mdash;that's been on the market for something like a hundred years.

I've encountered a number of audio products over the years whose thoughtful design and intricate craftsmanship brought to mind the expression "built like a Swiss watch." As often as I'd thought or even written that phrase, however, I don't think I'd ever stopped to seriously consider what an audio component might be like if actually built by the nation that produces Rolex and Breitling wristwatches.