This is an era in which products and websites are "launched," but in the past two years Herron Audio has sort of <I>oozed</I> its way into the public ear. With little visible promotion or splashy advertising, Herron is now spoken of within an ever-widening audiophile circle.

<B>GUY CLARK: <I>Cold Dog Soup</I></B><BR> Sugar Hill Sug-CD-1063 (CD). 1999. Chris Latham, prod., eng.; Guy Clark, Verlon Thompson, Darrell Scott, prods. AAD. TT: 40:44<BR> Performance <B>*****</B><BR> Sonics <B>****?</B>

Three-dimensional modeling, 4-pi anechoic chambers, and laser inteferometry were but a few of the industrial marvels revealed in early March to a group of <I>Stereophile</I> and <I>Stereophile Guide to Home Theater</I> scribes. The group convened Tuesday, March 7, at Revel headquarters in the massive <A HREF="http://www.harman.com/">Harman International</A> complex in Northridge, California, for an inside view of the company's research, development, and manufacturing operations, organized and led by <A HREF="http://www.madrigal.com/">Madrigal</A&gt; president Mark Glazier. Madrigal is Harman's Middletown, Connecticut-based high-end operation, with the Proceed, Mark Levinson, and Revel lines under its jurisdiction.

The radio industry's frenzy of mergers and acquisitions has slowed down but hasn't stopped. San Antonio-based <A HREF="http://www.clearchannel.com/">Clear Channel Communications Inc.</A>, one of the largest radio broadcasters in the US, has agreed to acquire <A HREF="http://www.amfm.com/">AMFM Inc.</A>, another major player. The merger will give Clear Channel more than 850 stations nationwide. The deal hinges on Clear Channel unloading 72 of its stations in 27 markets to comply with <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A> rules limiting the number of stations that can be owned by a single operator.

Should Internet sales be subject to taxation? California's US Senator Diane Feinstein doesn't think so. Neither do most of her constituents in Silicon Valley, who are riding an unprecedented wave of prosperity as the growth of Internet commerce continues. Many folks outside Silicon Valley, especially traditional retailers, see no reason why e-commerce should be exempt from sales taxes.

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.capitolrecords.com/">Capitol Records</A> announced that it will release expanded DVD and VHS editions of <I>Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story</I>. The documentary, produced by Stephanie Bennett and directed by Alan Boyd, made its US television debut on VH1 in 1998. A soundtrack CD of <I>Endless Harmony</I>, originally released to coincide with the VH1 airing, is also available.

In his essay "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/208/">Let's Face the Music and Dance</A>," John Marks, founder of John Marks Records, asks: "Does high-end audio have a future?" Of course it does, he says. But will it be one worth the price? Marks writes, "for most of its potential consumers, high-end audio is now a matter of sharply diminishing economic returns. A large incremental expenditure guarantees only a relatively modest, even marginal improvement in sound quality." How to forge ahead anyway? Marks offers his advice to our "dysfunctional" audio family.

John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band's 1971 album <I>Imagine</I> has now been remixed and remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London, supervised by Yoko Ono, and will be reissued in a new version on vinyl, CD, and cassette by <A HREF="http://www.capitolrecords.com">Capitol Records</A> on March 28. The re-release precedes the April 11 release of a behind-the-scenes DVD documentary, <I>Gimme Some Truth&mdash;The Making of John Lennon's </I>Imagine<I> Album</I>, which attempts to examine the creative process that took place at Lennon's home recording studio during the legendary 1971 sessions.

Does high-end audio have a future? High-end audio most definitely does have a future. So do the Latin mass, chess, leather-bound books, and wooden boats. But the future will not be like the past, and I think we must face the fact that high-end audio's future, both for hardware and software, will be as a minority enthusiasm. We should plan and act accordingly.