I don't know Gram Slee from Gram Parsons, or which House he was in at Harry Potter's Hogwarts School, but let me tell you: If you'd just been listening to a bunch of budget phono preamps, as I had, then came upon the GSP Audio Era Gold Mk.V, you'd think someone had switched out not just the phono preamp but your entire system. You might think you were listening to a different pressing or a different cartridge. How can this be?

I don't know Gram Slee from Gram Parsons, or which House he was in at Harry Potter's Hogwarts School, but let me tell you: If you'd just been listening to a bunch of budget phono preamps, as I had, then came upon the GSP Audio Era Gold Mk.V, you'd think someone had switched out not just the phono preamp but your entire system. You might think you were listening to a different pressing or a different cartridge. How can this be?

Simaudio, Ltd. has proudly introduced its MOON limited edition (LE) series audio components, a "reference level" music system which consists of the MOON Nova LE CD player and MOON i-5 LE dual-mono integrated amplifier (75Wpc/8 ohms). The company will produce only 250 units of each model per year. They feature polished chrome accents, thick brushed-and-anodized silver faceplates, and custom two-meter Cardas power cords. The MOON Nova LE CD player is priced at $3500; the MOON i-5 integrated amplifier is $3200.

The name Joe D'Appolito is synonymous with high-performance loudspeakers. Many manufacturers use D'Appolito techniques, but Snell Acoustics has the advantage of employing the famed designer himself as chief engineer. The company will soon begin delivering its Series 7 loudspeakers, which debuted at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

To kick off his three-loudspeaker survey from the January 2004 issue, Art Dudley sets up the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/104meadowlark">Meadowlark Audio Swift loudspeaker</A> in his room and notes, "You look at something like the Meadowlark Swift and you think, <I>How can they sell this for only $1195/pair?</I>"

Flat-screen TVs were clearly the winners at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES), but bubbling under the surface at the trade show were signs that creating home networks using media servers to manage both audio and video content libraries will also soon hit the big time.

During the recent, successful Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the <A HREF="http://www.CE.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA) predicted that manufacturer-to-dealer sales of consumer electronics products will total a record $101 billion in 2004&mdash;a 5% increase over 2003.

<B>SHOSTAKOVICH: 24 Preludes & Fugues, Op.87</B><BR>
</I>Keith Jarrett, piano<BR>
ECM New Series 1469/70 (437 189-2, 2 CDs only). Peter Laenger, eng.; Manfred Eicher, prod. DDD. TT: 2:15:21

Like most people, I'm not interested in long, windy essays about audio reviewing, having barely enough time and interest for audio itself. But I do perk up when the debate turns to the audio reviewer's purpose in life: Should I write about everything that crosses my path, or should I limit my attention to those products that interest me, and that stand a chance of being good?