Maria Schneider’s Jazz Orchestra plays at Birdland in midtown Manhattan this week, an unusual season and setting (usually they play at the Jazz Standard around Thanksgiving). The occasion is the premiere of a new, commissioned composition, and at Wednesday’s early set, it sounded as lovely as anything she’s written: joyful, melancholic, adventurous, pensive, with a samba swing.

Remember <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/the_world_is_crazy/">this rad video</a>?

Marantz has introduced four new, relatively affordable products: two integrated amplifiers and two disc players. All carry on the sleek, attractive design of the company’s reference components, featuring the classic Marantz star logo (cool), sculpted faceplates, and solid-looking build.

After a gap of far too many years, Northern California again has a high-end audio show. Sponsored by Constantine Soo's DaGoGo.com, the fledgling <A HREF="http://www.caaudioshow.com/">California Audio Show</A> will take place July 30 &#150;August 1 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Emeryville. That location &#151;next to Interstate 80, just across the bridge from San Francisco, midway between Oakland and Berkeley, and a free (albeit time-sensitive) <A HREF="http://emerygoround.com/schedule.php">shuttle ride</A> from the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) MacArthur line&#151;is expected to draw a good cross-section of audiophiles from throughout the Bay Area.

Phiaton, maker of sexy headphones for sexy people, has <a href="http://www.phiaton.com/">a nice new website</a> filled with pictures of attractive young adults, set in clean, chic surroundings, looking very deeply engaged with what they’re doing, whether at work or at play or getting ready for a big date, while wearing Phiaton headphones. Check it out.