The manufacture and marketing of so-called "universal" digital disc players should have been a no-brainer right from the start. I recall the first demo of SACD I attended, when both SACD and DVD-Audio were little more than promises and contentions. That prototype Philips player consisted of several cubic feet of hardware controlled by a computer, even though mockups of more marketable SACD players were arrayed around the room. After the demo, I asked one of the Philips engineers if it were possible to make a player that could handle CD, SACD, <I>and</I> DVD-A. His reply: "Sure, if <I>they</I> let me do it."

The manufacture and marketing of so-called "universal" digital disc players should have been a no-brainer right from the start. I recall the first demo of SACD I attended, when both SACD and DVD-Audio were little more than promises and contentions. That prototype Philips player consisted of several cubic feet of hardware controlled by a computer, even though mockups of more marketable SACD players were arrayed around the room. After the demo, I asked one of the Philips engineers if it were possible to make a player that could handle CD, SACD, <I>and</I> DVD-A. His reply: "Sure, if <I>they</I> let me do it."

The manufacture and marketing of so-called "universal" digital disc players should have been a no-brainer right from the start. I recall the first demo of SACD I attended, when both SACD and DVD-Audio were little more than promises and contentions. That prototype Philips player consisted of several cubic feet of hardware controlled by a computer, even though mockups of more marketable SACD players were arrayed around the room. After the demo, I asked one of the Philips engineers if it were possible to make a player that could handle CD, SACD, <I>and</I> DVD-A. His reply: "Sure, if <I>they</I> let me do it."

<A HREF="http://www.siriusradio.com">Sirius Satellite Radio</A> has achieved three milestones in its campaign to reach profitability.

Now that 2003 is almost a memory, it's time for <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/1203poty">The 2003 Products of the Year</A>. Once again <I>Stereophile</I>'s writers cast their votes on the year's audio worthies.

And then there were four: Sony's music division and German media company Bertelsmann, parent of the BMG record label, have decided that they've got a better chance under one roof. Last week, the two companies revealed that they will merge their music divisions into a new company called Sony BMG.

Few audio products have proved as enduringly fascinating to audiophiles as William Firebaugh's Well-Tempered Turntable design. At once elegantly simple and technically sophisticated, it was an immediate hit with music lovers and critics alike&mdash;and was long a staple of <I>Stereophile</I>'s "Recommended Components" list. For the greater part of the product's 20-year lifespan, the Well-Tempered 'table has been distributed and manufactured under the direction of Transparent Audio, Inc. However, Carl Smith, the Transparent partner who supervised the manufacture of the Well-Tempered line, decided to retire this year, and Transparent determined that it should concentrate on its cable business.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/1203poty.award.jpg" WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=324 HSPACE=6 VSPACE=4 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Since 1992, <I>Stereophile</I> has recognized components that have proved capable of giving musical pleasure beyond the formal review period by naming its "Products of the Year." These are the components that can be recommended without any ifs or buts, that will grace any system in which they used.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/1203poty.award.jpg" WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=324 HSPACE=6 VSPACE=4 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Since 1992, <I>Stereophile</I> has recognized components that have proved capable of giving musical pleasure beyond the formal review period by naming its "Products of the Year." These are the components that can be recommended without any ifs or buts, that will grace any system in which they used.