My life is characterized by periods of relative calm interrupted by huge transitions. This last year has been a doozie, with changes in just about every aspect of my life: new cars, motorcycles, and guitars, new jobs and relationships, and, finally, the contemplation of a cross-country move. With a little bit of luck, all of this upheaval will end in a long period of relative calm.

My life is characterized by periods of relative calm interrupted by huge transitions. This last year has been a doozie, with changes in just about every aspect of my life: new cars, motorcycles, and guitars, new jobs and relationships, and, finally, the contemplation of a cross-country move. With a little bit of luck, all of this upheaval will end in a long period of relative calm.

My life is characterized by periods of relative calm interrupted by huge transitions. This last year has been a doozie, with changes in just about every aspect of my life: new cars, motorcycles, and guitars, new jobs and relationships, and, finally, the contemplation of a cross-country move. With a little bit of luck, all of this upheaval will end in a long period of relative calm.

The record companies have declared war on their customers when it comes to the fair use rights of purchased music, and it would appear that they want the government to enlist in their crusade. Previous weeks have seen South Carolina senator Ernest Hollings propose draconian <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11287/">copyright legislation</A> as well as recent pro-Hollywood remarks from California's senator Diane Feinstein.

Copy-protection hysteria in the entertainment industry is driving possible changes in copyright laws that could make what is legal today illegal tomorrow. Legislation such as Senator "Fritz" Hollings' to-be-introduced Security Systems Standards and Certification Act could erode long-established "fair use" provisions that allow consumers to make compilation CDs and video recordings of favorite TV shows.

As I explain in the current issue's "As We See It" column, I decide on the ratings of the equipment featured in <I>Stereophile</I>'s "Recommended Components" listing after consultation with the reviewers, taking into account the original review comments and, sometimes, my own experience.

Chad Kassem is a true audio renaissance man. For years he has headed <A HREF="http://www.acousticsounds.com/">Acoustic Sounds</A>, supplier of select recorded musical treasures from a variety of audiophile and specialty labels. Kassem also has his own label, Analogue Productions, which produces reissues, revivals, and a series of original recordings under the label APO Records.

Michael Fremer gets a chorus of <I>oohs</I> and <I>ahhs</I> as he sets up the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/535/">Hovland Sapphire power amplifier</A> in his listening lair. While the Hovland is certainly a sweet-looking amp, MF rightly points out that "looks alone don't sell hi-fi equipment in the specialty audio market&mdash;especially when you're asking $7800 for a 40Wpc two-channel amplifier."

The affordable universal disc player may yet become a reality&mdash;if <A HREF="http://www.philips.com">Royal Philips Electronics</A> has anything to do with it.