Has anybody out there figured out what T bone burnett is up to and is the new audio file type/encoding for real that he is using for the new John Melloncamp album? I ask as it is prominently mentioned in latest Rolling Stone magazine and I have never heard about this before and the timing seems strange just as we are getting high def downloads coming on line and new audio options maybe with Blu-ray.

What Is a line stage pre amp? And has anyone had any experience with Joule Electra components ?

I'm sure this has come up before, so perhaps someone could point me to the discussion of why there is such a dearth of photographs in Stereophile reviews.

Sometimes it's just a matter of not wanting to have to get up and surf the net to see what the speaker actually looks like. Other times, there's a long discussion of some design feature in the text, which would work much better with a photo.

I am looking for a recommendation on a book about digital audio fundamentals. I don't want a deep, textbook kind of publication or one that is narrowly focused on just one aspect. Rather, I am after an up-to-date book that describes the basic principles or fundamentals of the digital audio scheme, formats, interfaces, issues, real world use, how recordings are made, etc. Basically, a book that provides an overview of the subject with sufficient detail to gain a practical and technological understanding of digital audio without requiring a PhD.

he seems to have a surprising lack of knowledge of the industry. Regarding rohacell "This stuff has been around five years, but no one else is using it" quoth he.

But I think that little speaker company called B&W has been using it for quite a while now: http://www.stereophile.com/news/112204bw/

Hi, I'm starting to gather ideas for a system.

I'm thinking either a NAD C270 amp or a NAD C325BEE integrated as a starting point.

Can a component be plugged directly into the variable input of the C270, and controlled well enough with the input level knob, or do I need a preamp? This would be just to get started. I'd like to wait for the preamp until I find a really good deal.

If I went the C325BEE way, would it be useful later as a preamp with a separate amp, or would it be a limiter?

I have a small starter system that I have been assembling through trades and upgrades since a coworker introduced me to the world of hi-fi with his Devore/Naim system, and I almost cried it was so amazing (not really, but if I was a crying type of guy...who knows?).

So I got the anti-cables as per a few recommendations. Got the spade ends on both, but when I got bock to my amp, realized that i needed bananas or raw wire. So I did it diy and cut off the spades and stripped the wire.

As for the sound (keeping in mind that this is my first foray into this sort of thing) they are definitely very clear...I would say almost bright. I need to listen more, but I'm going to have to say, right out of the box, a good buy. Definitely hearing some things I haven't heard before (in a good way).

Thanks for the help.

Josh