Music lover Dennis Cassidy had an itch years ago to start an audiophile label dedicated to releasing the particular kinds of music he liked with the best vinyl and packaging available. Cassidy was involved with music distributor Sound Advice at the time, which sold the standard audiophile favorites from Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, and others.

Have the format wars begun in earnest? Only a few days after Warner Brothers announced the DVD-Audio release of Paul Simon's <I>You're the One</I>, <A HREF="http://www.umusic.com">Universal Music Group</A> announced its plan to release titles in the Super Audio CD format.

Don't smirk, but a lot of audiophiles, including this writer and our esteemed editor John Atkinson, spend a considerable amount of time listening to music on their computers, especially at work. In fact, the results from our <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/showvote.cgi?208">recent online poll</A> about computers and listening habits indicate that at least 60% of our readers listen this way as well, with half of those using their PCs for music playback "quite often."

In his review of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/398/">Cary Audio Design CAD-300SEI integrated amplifier</A>, Robert Harley admits up front that he's been "biased against single-ended tube amplifiers because of their quirky measured performances." Can the Cary redeem itself and the SET approach with a single hearing? Harley reports, with a "Follow-Up" from Jonathan Scull.

Now that satellite radio services <A HREF="http://www.xmradio.com">XM Radio</A> and <A HREF="http://www.siriusradio.com">Sirius Radio</A> have their "birds" in position, they are encountering a slew of unexpected roadblocks here on earth. Among the problems: loss of signal in tunnels and urban canyons, interference with wireless communications, and a lighting technology that emits strong radio waves close to the broadcasters' assigned bands.

Maybe it's because those Yanks are so contentious, but it appears that most of the initial CD copy-protection activity is taking place in Europe (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11113/">previous</A&gt;). Last week, Phoenix, AZ&ndash;based SunnComm announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with <A HREF="http://www.sonopress.de">Sonopress</A&gt; of Germany for implementation of its MediaCloQ technology in manufacturing facilities located all over Europe.

From the August 2001 issue, we have Michael Fremer's illuminating review of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/394/">Audio Physic Avanti III loudspeaker</A>. Fremer wonders how Audio Physic can top the outstanding price/performance success of its middle-of-the line <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/147/">Virgo model</A> with a speaker that costs twice as much. As Fremer asks, "Is the Avanti twice as good as the Virgo? <I>More</I> than twice as good? Or is it just another competent but undistinguished design?"

There are only a few short days left, but once again, audiophiles can help themselves and others at the same time by participating in The Cable Company's sixth annual "Summer Against Hunger" campaign. <A HREF="http://www.fatwyre.com">The Cable Company</A> (and <A HREF="http://www.usedcable.com">www.usedcable.com</A&gt;), along with several manufacturers and audiophile publications, have set up a program by which they offer to donate up to 10% of August sales to CARE and the International Rescue Committee, these contributions to be used to assist the worldwide disaster relief efforts of those humanitarian organizations.