As noted in the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicintheround/304round">March installment</A> of "Music in the Round," there are so many new multichannel hardware goodies to talk about that we need this bonus appearance of the column just to keep up. Nor do I expect the rush of gear to stop&mdash;I've just returned from CES in Las Vegas, where there was lots of new multichannel hardware and software that I will report on in June, including a luscious all-tube analog multichannel preamp. This month I report on a universal disc player, a comparison of Sony's top-of-the-line <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/1203sony">SCD-XA9000ES<…; multichannel SACD player with its respected predecessor, and a multichannel preamp that's almost too good a deal.

As noted in the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicintheround/304round">March installment</A> of "Music in the Round," there are so many new multichannel hardware goodies to talk about that we need this bonus appearance of the column just to keep up. Nor do I expect the rush of gear to stop&mdash;I've just returned from CES in Las Vegas, where there was lots of new multichannel hardware and software that I will report on in June, including a luscious all-tube analog multichannel preamp. This month I report on a universal disc player, a comparison of Sony's top-of-the-line <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/1203sony">SCD-XA9000ES<…; multichannel SACD player with its respected predecessor, and a multichannel preamp that's almost too good a deal.

<I>"As I was saying before I was interrupted..."</I>&mdash;Jack Paar, 1918-2004

<I>"As I was saying before I was interrupted..."</I>&mdash;Jack Paar, 1918-2004

<I>"As I was saying before I was interrupted..."</I>&mdash;Jack Paar, 1918-2004

"Ah, I see what the problem is. Your ear canals are larger in diameter than normal."

"Ah, I see what the problem is. Your ear canals are larger in diameter than normal."

"Ah, I see what the problem is. Your ear canals are larger in diameter than normal."

Friday, the first public day of HE2004, was entirely different from the press-only day that preceded it. Friday, the audiophiles arrived and the excitement was palpable. Rooms filled with music lovers; halls thronged with excited gear-heads. Now <I>that's</I> entertainment.

Renowned Canadian pianist Robert Silverman will be signing copies of his
<I>Stereophile</I> CDs at noon on Saturday May 22 at Home Entertainment
2004. Recorded in audiophile sound quality by <I>Stereophile</I> editor
John Atkinson, Robert's recordings include <A
HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/315"><I>Concert</I></A&gt;,
live performances of works by Bach, Chopin, Schumann, and Schubert; <A
HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/131"><I>Sonata</I></A&gt;,
featuring Frans Liszt's heroic B-minor Sonata; and the <A
HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/298">complete Beethoven
Sonatas</A>.