Stereophile

In the January 2005 issue of <I>Stereophile</I>, reader "KCA" suggests rather impolitely that the magazine recommends too many components. What do you think?

A friend recently explained that he favors "chance and luck when choosing components." Do <I>you</I> think a little unexplained audio mystery a good thing? Do you like to carefully study the physics of your room and the technology behind the components, or do you prefer to go with your instinct for good sound?

<I>Stereophile</I> has put its toe in the multichannel waters with Kal Rubinson's <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicintheround">Music in the Round</A>" column and periodic industry updates. But should the magazine be doing even more in this area?

Clearly from last week's survey, most of you feel that SACD and DVD-Audio are on the skids. But is it terminal? Do you think that high-resolution audio has a future?

While some may disagree, it would seem that both competing high-rez audio formats, SACD and DVD-Audio, have stalled in the marketplace. Why do you think this is?

Forget about the sound quality this time. What was your favorite disc this year on musical merit alone?

Forget about the music for a second, and let's concentrate on the art of reproduction. What is the best <I>sounding</I> disc you've heard so far this year?