The major record labels may put out most of the world's music, but they're doing so on a format first created by Philips and then further developed by Sony: the Compact Disc. In addition to the underlying technology, Philips and Sony established a strict standard for the format, insuring compatibility with all players around the world, which came to be known as the Red Book standard.

In the crush of new products and technologies scrambling for attention at every Consumer Electronics Show, some intriguing announcements can get buried in the noise and require a closer look than is afforded by a quick listen and chat in a demo room. One such technology on display at the 2002 CES was <A HREF="http://www.gibsonmagic.com">MaGIC</A&gt;, a new high-resolution audio connectivity standard.

One by one, free music sites are disappearing. On January 19, Amsterdam-based <A HREF="http://www.kazaa.nl">KaZaA</A&gt; became the latest, caving in to threats of fines in excess of $40,000 per day.

Kalman Rubinson admits to having plenty of Sony trinkets, including clocks, VCRs, and TVs. But until the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/491/">Sony SCD-XA777ES multichannel SACD/CD player</A>, he's always preferred other brands when it came to audio. Rubinson reveals whether this latest expression of SACD engineering from Sony has changed his perception of the company as a serious audiophile contender.

"Sony. Sony. No Baloney."

"Sony. Sony. No Baloney."

"Sony. Sony. No Baloney."

"Sony. Sony. No Baloney."

"Sony. Sony. No Baloney."