<I>Theta makes a power amp?</I>

<I>Theta makes a power amp?</I>

<I>Theta makes a power amp?</I>

I never "got" the spurs with which Jimmie Lee Robinson provided a percussive accompaniment to his singing and guitar playing, but I became a fan of Jimmie Lee's when I saw him perform on two successive nights at <A HREF="http://www.acousticsounds.com">Acoustic Sounds</A>' first blues festival in Salina, Kansas in September 1998. His subsequent live appearances at Consumer Electronics Shows and at HI-FI '99, Home Entertainment 2001, and HE2002 on behalf of Acoustic Sounds' associated <A HREF="http://www.analogueproductions.com">APO label</A>, were highlights of those events. (I took the accompanying photo at Jimmie Lee's May 31 <A HREF="http://www.homeentertainment-expo.com">HE2002</A&gt; gig in New York with harmonica player Wild Child Butler.)

Love it or loathe it, Internet music is here to stay.

A soon-to-be-introduced bill in the US House of Representatives could severely alter the legality of behavior so commonplace that most Americans take it for granted.

John Atkinson has found himself swept away by the expensive speakers from Wilson Audio Specialties, so he set forth to put the company's new, modestly-priced <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/619/">Sophia loudspeaker</A> to the test. JA writes, "The Sophia is all new, from its handcrafted enclosure to its custom-built drive-units."

Historically, radio stations have only partially cooperated with record label attempts to control when and where an important new record is first aired. It's not unusual for a new album or single to be "embargoed" until a specific date by the labels, with stations often competing with each other to find ways to get around this restriction and be first to air a hot new song.

As some readers may suspect, more music is heard in the automobile than in the home. Taking a clue from this trend, many high-end audio companies are finding their way into your car, and factory installed systems are getting better and better. Examples include the Mark Levinson audio system found in cars from Lexus, the debut of Lexicon's L7 surround system in a BMW at the 2002 CES, Linn's <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11285/">partnership with Aston Martin</A>, Harman's partnership with Mercedes Benz, and the Dynaudio/Dolby Surround systems found in several of Volvo's cars.