A couple of months ago, I heard <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/128092">an interesting segment on NPR</a> about Sam Hillmer's <a href="http://www.myspace.com/representingnyc">Representing NYC</a> project. Hillmer, a NYC school teacher, partners his students with indie-rock musicians to create hip-hop albums. The children are given an opportunity to express themselves and gain real experience in the art of commerce, while the musicians get to contribute to the working-class communities they've recently moved into.

Musical Fidelity's founder, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/575/index3.html">Antony Michaelson</A>, arrived at my house to help me set up the two chassis of his sleek, limited-edition, $30,000 Titan power amplifier. (The task requires at <I>least</I> two people.) A week later, a representative of Musical Fidelity's US importer, KEF America, dropped by to listen and to deliver three of Musical Fidelity's new V-series products: a phono preamp, a DAC, and a headphone amp. All three fit comfortably into a small paper bag; the price of the three was $700.

Musical Fidelity's founder, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/575/index3.html">Antony Michaelson</A>, arrived at my house to help me set up the two chassis of his sleek, limited-edition, $30,000 Titan power amplifier. (The task requires at <I>least</I> two people.) A week later, a representative of Musical Fidelity's US importer, KEF America, dropped by to listen and to deliver three of Musical Fidelity's new V-series products: a phono preamp, a DAC, and a headphone amp. All three fit comfortably into a small paper bag; the price of the three was $700.

Musical Fidelity's founder, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/575/index3.html">Antony Michaelson</A>, arrived at my house to help me set up the two chassis of his sleek, limited-edition, $30,000 Titan power amplifier. (The task requires at <I>least</I> two people.) A week later, a representative of Musical Fidelity's US importer, KEF America, dropped by to listen and to deliver three of Musical Fidelity's new V-series products: a phono preamp, a DAC, and a headphone amp. All three fit comfortably into a small paper bag; the price of the three was $700.

Musical Fidelity's founder, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/575/index3.html">Antony Michaelson</A>, arrived at my house to help me set up the two chassis of his sleek, limited-edition, $30,000 Titan power amplifier. (The task requires at <I>least</I> two people.) A week later, a representative of Musical Fidelity's US importer, KEF America, dropped by to listen and to deliver three of Musical Fidelity's new V-series products: a phono preamp, a DAC, and a headphone amp. All three fit comfortably into a small paper bag; the price of the three was $700.

Musical Fidelity's founder, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/575/index3.html">Antony Michaelson</A>, arrived at my house to help me set up the two chassis of his sleek, limited-edition, $30,000 Titan power amplifier. (The task requires at <I>least</I> two people.) A week later, a representative of Musical Fidelity's US importer, KEF America, dropped by to listen and to deliver three of Musical Fidelity's new V-series products: a phono preamp, a DAC, and a headphone amp. All three fit comfortably into a small paper bag; the price of the three was $700.

Musical Fidelity's founder, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/575/index3.html">Antony Michaelson</A>, arrived at my house to help me set up the two chassis of his sleek, limited-edition, $30,000 Titan power amplifier. (The task requires at <I>least</I> two people.) A week later, a representative of Musical Fidelity's US importer, KEF America, dropped by to listen and to deliver three of Musical Fidelity's new V-series products: a phono preamp, a DAC, and a headphone amp. All three fit comfortably into a small paper bag; the price of the three was $700.

While my enthusiasm for the long-discontinued <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/708play">Sony PlayStation 1</A> remains high (see the July 2008 <I>Stereophile</I>), I freely acknowledge that not every high-end audio enthusiast wants a CD player with an injection-molded chassis, a Robot Commando handset, and a remarkable lack of long-term reliability: Yes, the Sony sounds wonderful, but sound isn't everything.

While my enthusiasm for the long-discontinued <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/708play">Sony PlayStation 1</A> remains high (see the July 2008 <I>Stereophile</I>), I freely acknowledge that not every high-end audio enthusiast wants a CD player with an injection-molded chassis, a Robot Commando handset, and a remarkable lack of long-term reliability: Yes, the Sony sounds wonderful, but sound isn't everything.