Turntables are intrinsically cool. Maybe it's that I am of the pre-CD generation, for which the acquisition of one's first <I>really good</I> turntable marked an audiophile's coming of age. Just as turntable technology has progressed to such awe-inspiring pieces as the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//analogsourcereviews/796/">SME 30/2</A> and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//analogsourcereviews/258/">Rockport Technologies Sirius III</A>, less stratospherically priced 'tables now offer levels of performance that, if not revelatory, show why so many audiophiles (including yours truly) continue to love their LPs with something just short of fanaticism.

Turntables are intrinsically cool. Maybe it's that I am of the pre-CD generation, for which the acquisition of one's first <I>really good</I> turntable marked an audiophile's coming of age. Just as turntable technology has progressed to such awe-inspiring pieces as the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//analogsourcereviews/796/">SME 30/2</A> and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//analogsourcereviews/258/">Rockport Technologies Sirius III</A>, less stratospherically priced 'tables now offer levels of performance that, if not revelatory, show why so many audiophiles (including yours truly) continue to love their LPs with something just short of fanaticism.

More than 70 producers, engineers, and representatives from consumer and professional equipment manufacturers, record companies, and recording studios recently came together in Europe to discuss new ways to promote and establish Super Audio CD. After a two-day conference in London, the attendees say they have agreed to establish the Super Audio Forum to foster a "supportive environment for the exchange of knowledge and marketing information, as well as providing a platform for industry-wide collaboration."

One of the most common complaints about multichannel audio has nothing to do with sound quality. It's the lack of multichannel switching on most preamps and receivers that irks most audiophiles.

While the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is working overtime to jail file traders, members of the US Congress are introducing <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11691/">bill after bill</A> targeting with criminal prosecution the 60 million Americans engaged in Internet file sharing.

Will the threat of lawsuits have any effect on the file-sharing phenomenon? The music industry hopes and prays that it will. As of July 19, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) had sought and obtained "at least 871 federal subpoenas against computer users . . . with 75 new subpoenas being approved each day," according to an Associated Press report.

Listening room not up to snuff? Kalman Rubinson fires up the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//accessoryreviews/883/">Rives Audio PARC 3-Band Parametric Equalizer</A> to see whether it can tame a wild acoustic beast. KR reports that at "low frequencies, electronic EQ can be implemented without introducing significant distortion or noise in the midrange, where the ear is most sensitive."

Last January, the <I>Stereophile</I> website conducted a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/showvote.cgi?236">poll</A&gt; asking readers what they thought was their audio system's weakest link . The results indicated that 24% thought that their room was the most problematic component. What this says is that, though often accused of being obsessed with hardware, we audiophiles <I>are</I> aware of what a potent effect the speaker-room setup has.

Last January, the <I>Stereophile</I> website conducted a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/showvote.cgi?236">poll</A&gt; asking readers what they thought was their audio system's weakest link . The results indicated that 24% thought that their room was the most problematic component. What this says is that, though often accused of being obsessed with hardware, we audiophiles <I>are</I> aware of what a potent effect the speaker-room setup has.