HDMI is the invention of the Devil. I grant that the Devil is very smart&#151;he has put on a single cable both hi-rez audio and video, and paid tribute to the gods of industry by incorporating obligatory content protection. However, he has confounded the rest of us by using a connector that, while it relies on friction to maintain physical contact, has so <I>little</I> friction that the cable connector can be easily displaced from or misaligned with the chassis connector. The traditional audiophile predilection for heavy cables is, in this case, actually counterproductive&#151;exerting just a bit of torque on a stiff HDMI cable can be enough to break the connection.

HDMI is the invention of the Devil. I grant that the Devil is very smart&#151;he has put on a single cable both hi-rez audio and video, and paid tribute to the gods of industry by incorporating obligatory content protection. However, he has confounded the rest of us by using a connector that, while it relies on friction to maintain physical contact, has so <I>little</I> friction that the cable connector can be easily displaced from or misaligned with the chassis connector. The traditional audiophile predilection for heavy cables is, in this case, actually counterproductive&#151;exerting just a bit of torque on a stiff HDMI cable can be enough to break the connection.

<B><I>Get Better Sound</I></B><BR>
By Jim Smith. Quarter Note Press (Cumming, GA), 2008. Paperback, 293 pages. ISBN 978-0-9820807-0-2. $44.50. <BR>Web: <A HREF="http://www.getbettersound.com">www.getbettersound.com</A&gt;.

<B><I>Get Better Sound</I></B><BR>
By Jim Smith. Quarter Note Press (Cumming, GA), 2008. Paperback, 293 pages. ISBN 978-0-9820807-0-2. $44.50. <BR>Web: <A HREF="http://www.getbettersound.com">www.getbettersound.com</A&gt;.

<B>Editor's Note: </B>John Crabbe was Editor of <I>Hi-Fi News &amp; Record Review</I> when I joined that magazine as a lowly editorial assistant in September 1976. At the end of 2007, I had asked Steve Harris to interview John for <I>Stereophile</I>, as part of an ongoing project to create an oral history of high-end audio (footnote 1). Sadly, John passed away in December 2008&#151;see "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/communities">As We See It</A>" and "Industry Update," in our March issue. We are publishing Steve's interview as a tribute to a man from whom I learned my craft as an audio magazine editor.&#151;<B>John Atkinson</B>

<B>Editor's Note: </B>John Crabbe was Editor of <I>Hi-Fi News &amp; Record Review</I> when I joined that magazine as a lowly editorial assistant in September 1976. At the end of 2007, I had asked Steve Harris to interview John for <I>Stereophile</I>, as part of an ongoing project to create an oral history of high-end audio (footnote 1). Sadly, John passed away in December 2008&#151;see "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/communities">As We See It</A>" and "Industry Update," in our March issue. We are publishing Steve's interview as a tribute to a man from whom I learned my craft as an audio magazine editor.&#151;<B>John Atkinson</B>

<B>Editor's Note: </B>John Crabbe was Editor of <I>Hi-Fi News &amp; Record Review</I> when I joined that magazine as a lowly editorial assistant in September 1976. At the end of 2007, I had asked Steve Harris to interview John for <I>Stereophile</I>, as part of an ongoing project to create an oral history of high-end audio (footnote 1). Sadly, John passed away in December 2008&#151;see "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/communities">As We See It</A>" and "Industry Update," in our March issue. We are publishing Steve's interview as a tribute to a man from whom I learned my craft as an audio magazine editor.&#151;<B>John Atkinson</B>

<B>Editor's Note: </B>John Crabbe was Editor of <I>Hi-Fi News &amp; Record Review</I> when I joined that magazine as a lowly editorial assistant in September 1976. At the end of 2007, I had asked Steve Harris to interview John for <I>Stereophile</I>, as part of an ongoing project to create an oral history of high-end audio (footnote 1). Sadly, John passed away in December 2008&#151;see "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/communities">As We See It</A>" and "Industry Update," in our March issue. We are publishing Steve's interview as a tribute to a man from whom I learned my craft as an audio magazine editor.&#151;<B>John Atkinson</B>

Editor's Note: John Crabbe was Editor of Hi-Fi News & Record Review when I joined that magazine as a lowly editorial assistant in September 1976. At the end of 2007, I had asked Steve Harris to interview John for Stereophile, as part of an ongoing project to create an oral history of high-end audio (footnote 1). Sadly, John passed away in December 2008—see "As We See It" and "Industry Update," in our March issue. We are publishing Steve's interview as a tribute to a man from whom I learned my craft as an audio magazine editor.—John Atkinson

Sennheiser's long-awaited (seven years) HD800 sure isn't subtle&#151;at least, not in appearance. The HD800's large earpieces are made from a combination of absorbing composites and functional metal accents, and are <I>huge</I>. Of course, they have to be to house the 56mm ring-radiator transducers&#151;and to mount them so they're firing "back" to your ears from the front. Also not subtle is the price: $1399.95.