If you search for "DVD-A" on this <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com">website</A&gt;, you can get the whole confusing story of the format, which has been the subject of one of the strangest format launches of recent years: First it's on, then it's off. The watermark is audible. No, it's not. Oops, it <I>is</I>&mdash;back to square one. There's software, there's no software. (There's <I>not</I>&mdash;only one demo disc officially available in September 2000, when I wrote this review!)

If you search for "DVD-A" on this <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com">website</A&gt;, you can get the whole confusing story of the format, which has been the subject of one of the strangest format launches of recent years: First it's on, then it's off. The watermark is audible. No, it's not. Oops, it <I>is</I>&mdash;back to square one. There's software, there's no software. (There's <I>not</I>&mdash;only one demo disc officially available in September 2000, when I wrote this review!)

If you search for "DVD-A" on this <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com">website</A&gt;, you can get the whole confusing story of the format, which has been the subject of one of the strangest format launches of recent years: First it's on, then it's off. The watermark is audible. No, it's not. Oops, it <I>is</I>&mdash;back to square one. There's software, there's no software. (There's <I>not</I>&mdash;only one demo disc officially available in September 2000, when I wrote this review!)

Metallica's Lars Ulrich and Creed's Scott Sapp don't get it. But Courtney Love understands, and so does Stereophile's Jon Iverson, who pointed out in the October issue's "As We See It" that the dispute between the RIAA and Napster is more important to audiophiles than it might seem. The Napster-MP3 phenomenon is a crack in the dike that controls music distribution. How the water seeps through that crack now will determine how it will flow when the drip turns into a trickle, the trickle into a stream, the stream into a river. Audiophiles and pop-music fans alike will be in the same boat.

Last week's Comdex convention in Las Vegas showcased more examples of convergence between the consumer electronics and computer industries, especially in the areas of portable devices, home theater, and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10893/">digital audio</A>. DVD-Audio also received notice at the show, as chip developer <A HREF="http://www.zoran.com/">Zoran Corporation</A> announced the Vaddis V, its latest DVD multimedia processor, slated for mass production in spring 2001.

Audiophiles are just warming up to the debate on how (or why) they should set up multi-channel audio in the home (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10849/">previous story</A>). But perhaps the listening room will ultimately take a back seat to a more obvious choice for a multi-channel environment: the automobile. Several multi-channel products are being announced for the autosound market, including a new Fujitsu DVD player with 5.1 audio.

When audiophiles speak of "imaging," they may not be using the term metaphorically. Recent research at the University of California at San Diego's School of Medicine indicates that hearing and vision are more closely related than had been previously thought.

Flexibility is the name of the game as <A HREF="http://www.thetadigital.com/">Theta Digital</A> plays it. The innovative Agoura Hills, CA company has announced the Casablanca II, a modular upgradable preamp/processor for music and cinema applications, as well as two-channel modules for its Dreadnaught power amplifier.

Describing the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/288/">Audio Research Reference Two preamplifier</A>, Michael Fremer writes "Audio Research's first 21st-century, audiophile-quality line-stage preamplifier combines retro-tech vacuum-tube amplification and power-supply circuitry with innovative, remote-controlled gain, balance, tape monitoring, and signal routing. The price is also 21st-century: $9995." Worth every penny? Fremer offers his assessment.