In an aggressive move into the used audio equipment market, New York retailer <A HREF="http://www.harveyonline.com">Harvey Electronics</A> announced last week that the company will begin to sell used audio products and special purchases of new merchandise on <A HREF="http://www.ebay.com">eBay</A&gt;, an online auction site, beginning June 1, 1999. The company also recently announced that it will sell merchandise through other website partnerships.

S<I>tereophile</I> magazine is pleased to announce that senior contributing editor Jonathan Scull has joined its full-time staff as senior editor. As of April 19, 1999, he will be based at parent company Emap Petersen's office on lower Fifth Avenue in Manhattan's Flatiron district.

Last week, The <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America</A> released its year-end anti-piracy statistics, which it says reveal an increase in the number of counterfeit and pirate CDs and CD-recordables confiscated in 1998. "We've had tremendous success this year with our anti-piracy initiatives," said Frank Creighton, senior vice president and director of anti-piracy. "Between the many CD plants around the country adopting better business practices to the scores of universities signing up for our copyright education program---we're making strides on all fronts."

A surreal event took place at the 1991 Audio Engineering Society Convention when loudspeaker cables were put on the witness stand. Robert Harley details the amazing event as it unfolded, along with many unexpected twists and turns, in "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/107/">Audio McCarthyism</A>."

As first reported April 8 in <A HREF="http://www.eetimes.com"><I>EETimes</I></A&gt;, <A HREF="http://www.sony.com">Sony</A&gt; has made known its plans for the first generation of Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) players, to be released in Japan this May. For the last several months, Sony has been suggesting that the SACD format would be going head to head with the competing DVD-Audio format, despite overtures from the DVD-Audio Working Group to join in a single all-encompassing specification.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Two music-industry giants---<A HREF="http://www.bmg.com/">Bertelsmann Music Group</A> and Seagram Ltd.'s <A HREF="http://www.unistudios.com/">Universal Music</A>---have agreed to pool their resources in a joint Internet venture. <A HREF="http://www.getmusic.com/">GetMusic</A&gt;, as the website will be known, will sell compact discs in direct competition against traditional retailers, other Internet music services, and mail-order music clubs.

Prior to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, federal law limited broadcasters to ownership of only four radio stations in any one market, and a maximum of 40 nationwide. The act loosened regulations to allow ownership of as many as eight stations in a single market, and hundreds nationally.

Nagra's VPA amplification system consists of two slim, handsome monoblock amplifiers intended for vertical placement. They look good adjacent to the speakers. However, two 845 tubes put out a <I>lot</I> of heat, so the amplifier should be at least a foot away from your speakers...unless you're <I>looking</I> for a nice crackle finish.

Nagra's VPA amplification system consists of two slim, handsome monoblock amplifiers intended for vertical placement. They look good adjacent to the speakers. However, two 845 tubes put out a <I>lot</I> of heat, so the amplifier should be at least a foot away from your speakers...unless you're <I>looking</I> for a nice crackle finish.