Cambridge, England's <A HREF="http://www.meridian.co.uk/">Meridian Ltd.</A> has been making digital active (or self-powered) loudspeakers since 1990. Regarded as the best among the very few companies to offer such a product, Meridian has taken the concept to a new level by introducing three DSP-series loudspeakers with 24-bit/96kHz capability: the DSP6000, DSP5500, and DSP5000---all bearing the 96/24 suffix to distinguish them from their lower-resolution predecessors. Meridian introduced two 96kHz-capable subwoofers, the DSW1500 and DSW2500, at the 1999 Consumer Electronics Show.

Last week, <A HREF="http://www.real.com">RealNetworks</A&gt; announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held <A HREF="http://www.xing-tech.com">Xing Technology</A>, a developer and provider of MP3 software. Xing has been developing standards-based digital audio and video encoding and decoding technology since 1990, but eventually ran into trouble competing with other Internet-audio startups such as RealNetworks and Liquid Audio.

Step all the way back to issue number one of <I>Stereophile</I>, in which Lucius Wordburger proffers some sage advice on <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//historical/108/">How to Write an Ad</A>. Learn about The Endorsement (hint: don't use Fidel Castro), The Calculated Omission, and The Junk Product.

There's gold in them digital music hills. This obvious reality---supported by the music industry's near-panic in the face of the phenomenal growth of MP3 in the past year---was reinforced last week, when <A HREF="http://www.sony.com/">Sony Corporation</A> and <A HREF="http://www.ibm.com/">International Business Machines</A> announced a digital music mutual-aid pact at a press conference in Los Angeles.

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.