On August 17, 1959—50 years ago exactly—Columbia Records released Miles Davis’ <I>Kind of Blue</I>, which became not only the best-selling jazz album of all time but also one of the <I>best</I> jazz albums, period, the spearhead of the “modal” revolution.

This whole thing started up again when I tried to improve the phono-input section of my main system&#151;not to enhance its performance (although you might expect that to happen), but to provide a fairer, more flexible context for evaluating new cartridges.

This whole thing started up again when I tried to improve the phono-input section of my main system&#151;not to enhance its performance (although you might expect that to happen), but to provide a fairer, more flexible context for evaluating new cartridges.

With the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/mediaservers/ta_music_player_media_streamer"… Player</A>, T+A also sent along the Power Plant integrated amplifier ($2700). The Power Plant (PP) looks almost identical to the MP, and the two comprise a handsome, fully functional audio system in a single modest stack. To make this even easier, you connect the two at their rear panels with a supplied RJ-12 cable (T+A calls this the E Link), which coordinates their functions and allows the MP and PP to be operated with a single remote control.

With the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/mediaservers/ta_music_player_media_streamer"… Player</A>, T+A also sent along the Power Plant integrated amplifier ($2700). The Power Plant (PP) looks almost identical to the MP, and the two comprise a handsome, fully functional audio system in a single modest stack. To make this even easier, you connect the two at their rear panels with a supplied RJ-12 cable (T+A calls this the E Link), which coordinates their functions and allows the MP and PP to be operated with a single remote control.

One of my favorite Charles Rodrigues cartoons, originally published in <I>Stereo Review</I> and reprinted in the book <I>Total Harmonic Distortion</I> (Perfectbound Press, 1988), shows a customer in the soundroom of an audio dealer, auditioning a pair of speakers. This is no ordinary soundroom: the floor, walls, and ceiling are completely covered with irregularly shaped boxes, apparently an extreme form of acoustical treatment. The salesman is saying, "Of course, you realize that it won't sound exactly the same in your living room, sir..."