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It's April & Recommended Components

Our 180-page April issue is hitting newsstands, mailboxes, and tablets this week and, as always with Stereophile's April issues, it includes the revised and updated edition of our "Recommended Components" feature—capsule reviews of the best-sounding gear available. And featured on the April issue's cover is Klipsch's RP-600M speaker, which features a horn-loaded tweeter. Read Herb Reichert's report to see how he felt about this little gem...

It's Been a Busy Year for Pirates and The Man

Last week, The Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America 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."

It's Official: DVD-Audio Version 1.0 Finally Set

After dozens of thorny issues slowed its progress (see previous">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10281/">previous report), last week the DVD">http://www.dvdforum.com/">DVD Forum announced that its Steering Committee has approved Version 1.0 of the DVD-Audio Disc specifications, making it the fifth of the DVD format family after DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, and DVD-R. According to a statement, the DVD Forum says it will soon publish the DVD-Audio Format Book, which contains the detailed specification of the format, and make it available to authorized companies by "early spring of this year."

It's Party Time at Christopher Hansen!

When I compiled the votes HI-FI '98 attendees had cast for "Best">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10239/">Best Sound at the Show," the ultimate winner was the room and system assembled by Los Angeles retailer Christopher Hansen 2---the latest Evolution 2 version of the mighty Martin-Logan Statement electrostatic speaker system, driven by multiple VTL Wotan two-chassis tube monoblocks. Cabling was Cardas Neutral Reference, and the digital front end was by Wadia---a 270 CD transport and the new 27i digital decoding computer---with some tonal shaping courtesy of a Z-Systems Transparent Tone Control. Component stands were from pARTicular.

It's the August Issue!

With Quad's reworking of Peter Walker's "Wonder," the full-range ESL-2912 electrostatic, featured on its cover. Inside you'll find John Atkinson on Rockport's Avior II loudspeaker; Herb Reichert on an affordable amplifier from Emotiva and cost-no-object headphones from Abyss; Art Dudley on a Bryston's CD player; Michael Fremer on Brinkmann's MQA-capable Nyquist DAC and Ortofon's Windfeld Ti cartridge; and Jim Austin on PS Audio's ultimate monoblock.

It's the Pricing, Stupid!

Whenever we run">http://www.stereophile.com/showvote.cgi?168">run a poll asking readers what record companies can do to reduce piracy, one of the most common gripes is that CD prices are too high. Apparently the National">http://www.narm.com/">National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) and major music retailers across the country agree. They also are looking for better-sounding formats to goose sales.

It's Time for "Recommended Components"

The October issue is here, with revised and updated capsule reviews of 500 audio products that have been reviewed in the magazine, rated in six categories, from "E" for "Entry Level" to "A+" for those few products that are beyond criticism. Stereophile's "Recommended Components"—often copied but never equaled.
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