Kalman Rubinson

Ever since I installed dedicated power lines for my multichannel system, I've been wrestling with the issues of surge protection, power conditioning, and voltage regulation. I start with a bias based on decades of happy listening without being concerned about any of these problems, and my belief that competent electronic components must be, and are, designed to perform in the real world. After all, whether the device's AC power supply is a traditional transformer-bridge-reservoir or a switching supply, its output should be a DC source that is sufficient to let the active circuitry meet its specifications. Many manufacturers, such as Bryston, recommend bypassing any line conditioners and plugging their components directly into the AC outlet.

With high-end audio dealers getting scarcer, audiophiles often turn to the Internet or mail-order for products. Would you buy something you hadn't yet heard?

According to a study published by anesthesiologists Chakib Ayoub, Laudi Rizk, Chadi Yaacoub, Dorothy Gaal, and Zeev Kain at the Yale School of Medicine, music reduces intraoperative sedative requirements in patients who received surgical procedures under anesthesia.

In my report on Red Rose Music's HE2005 debut of the <A HREF="http://stereophile.com/news/050205red/">Burwen Bobcat</A>, I complained about the lack of before and after demonstrations of the technology, as well as the difficulty of extracting information about what the product actually did. In the last week, I have received correspondence that sheds light on both cavils.

Jimmy Martin, the self-styled "King of Bluegrass," died at a hospice near his home in Hermitage, TN on May 14. Martin had been diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2003, but the progress of the disease was slow, and the first of two hospice stays was cut short by an apparent recovery. Significantly, Martin never gave up his plans to perform at this year's Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, IN.

MusicGiants says it will be the first company to offer high-fidelity downloads, but it will also <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/051605musicgiants/">spy on your computer</A> to see what other music files you may have. Are you interested in a service like this?

<I>Nothing is wonderful when you get used to it.&mdash;E.L. Howe</I>