Conventional wisdom has it that large Japanese corporations are insular. But when it comes to audio, Sony bucks the conventional wisdom as much as it does in pretty much everything it does. In Europe, the company has long had an excellent reputation for producing loudspeakers using local design talent, so I wasn't surprised to see Sony launching a line of American-designed and -made speakers at <I>Stereophile</I>'s 1994 High-End Hi-Fi Show in Miami. <I>Stereophile</I> writer Barry Willis came away from that Show raving about the Sonys: "What we heard was gorgeous, absolutely beautiful: rich, warm, and deep, with a seductive midrange, a shimmering, delicate, grain-free top-end, and a soundstage to die for," he wrote about the sound of the three-way SS-M7 in Miami (footnote 1), 1 concluding that "WATT/Puppy performance is now available at Vandersteen prices in an American-made loudspeaker sporting a Japanese badge."

You know what's the first thing they teach you in dental school? Don't ever say "Oops!" Even if you stick one of those hooked teeth scrapers through the patient's cheek, you don't say "Oops!" "Don't move!"? Yes. "Oops!"? No. That's the big day-one lesson&mdash;and given the cost of medical malpractice insurance today, a damn good one.

You know what's the first thing they teach you in dental school? Don't ever say "Oops!" Even if you stick one of those hooked teeth scrapers through the patient's cheek, you don't say "Oops!" "Don't move!"? Yes. "Oops!"? No. That's the big day-one lesson&mdash;and given the cost of medical malpractice insurance today, a damn good one.

You know what's the first thing they teach you in dental school? Don't ever say "Oops!" Even if you stick one of those hooked teeth scrapers through the patient's cheek, you don't say "Oops!" "Don't move!"? Yes. "Oops!"? No. That's the big day-one lesson&mdash;and given the cost of medical malpractice insurance today, a damn good one.

You know what's the first thing they teach you in dental school? Don't ever say "Oops!" Even if you stick one of those hooked teeth scrapers through the patient's cheek, you don't say "Oops!" "Don't move!"? Yes. "Oops!"? No. That's the big day-one lesson&mdash;and given the cost of medical malpractice insurance today, a damn good one.

You know what's the first thing they teach you in dental school? Don't ever say "Oops!" Even if you stick one of those hooked teeth scrapers through the patient's cheek, you don't say "Oops!" "Don't move!"? Yes. "Oops!"? No. That's the big day-one lesson&mdash;and given the cost of medical malpractice insurance today, a damn good one.

Veljo Tormis: <I>Forgotten Peoples</I><BR>
T&#245;nu Kaljuste, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir<BR>
ECM New Series 1459/60 (434 275-2, 2 CDs only). Paul Hillier, prod.; Peter Laenger, eng. DDD. TT: 2:06:01

The recording label Deutsche Grammophon, founded in 1898, boldly ventured into the 21<SUP>st</SUP> century on November 28 with a new <A HREF="http://www2.ham.deutschegrammophon.com/home
">online store</A> that eschews digital rights management (DRM) and offers MP3 downloads at 320kbps.