<A HREF="http://www.ti.com">Texas Instruments</A> says it is on a quest to provide "high-performance audio solutions" for the home entertainment market. To prove it, last week the company announced its first stereo analog-to-digital converters supporting the Direct Stream Digital (DSD) specification and the Super Audio CD format (SACD).

Thanks to an agreement reached in October, musicians, rather than their record labels, will receive royalty payments for the use of recordings distributed over the Internet or broadcast over cable and satellite systems. Royalty collection agency <A HREF="http://www.soundexchange.com">SoundExchange</A&gt; will distribute payments directly to performers, regardless of their contracts with the record companies, according to a statement issued the second week of November.

<B>BOB DYLAN: <I>"Love and Theft"</I></B><BR> Columbia (85975) (CD). 2001. Jack Frost, prod.; Chris Shaw, engs. Jeremy Welch, asst. eng. AAD? TT: 57:35<BR> Performance <B>****1/2</B><BR> Sonics <B>****</B>

Hard-disk&ndash;based audio systems having been gaining traction in recent months, with a half-dozen consumer electronics companies announcing or selling products. These new components model what savvy computer users have been hacking together for years&mdash;a software-controlled music library based on hundreds or thousands of CD or MP3 files stored on a hard disk.

Audiophiles know that cleaning up their AC supplies can yield a cornucopia of sonic benefits, including a quieter background, better retrieval of detail, and a subjectively wider dynamic range. The phenomenon is so well-recognized that it has spawned an entire industry devoted to making electrical conditioners, line filters, noise suppressors, and specialty power cords.

There's no question that the computer is at the heart of the recorded music experience for many people, but saving, sorting, and accessing digital music files can be a real chore. Now two Los Angeles technology companies have combined forces to create what they are calling "one-click" digital music management.

Most folks have enough room in their homes (some college students excepted) to easily place 100W amplifiers without regard to size or heat. But in the car, high-powered amps have always been relegated to the trunk or under a seat, often requiring creative solutions for anything with real heft.

Audiophiles almost universally agree that hearing&mdash;or "auditory perception" to neuroscientists&mdash;improves with practice. That phenomenon would explain why many of us are able to hear differences between audio components that untrained listeners can't hear.

From the March 2001 issue, Michael Fremer finds that, although homely in appearance, the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/441/">Herron Audio M150 monoblock power amplifier</A> has several endearing qualities. As Fremer explains, "Herron approaches the marketplace in a cautious, stealthy manner, working from the ground up to grab the ears of audiophiles." MF tells us where this amp grabbed <I>him</I>.