Stereophile Staff

The <A HREF="http://www.homeentertainment-expo.com">Home Entertainment Show</A> (HE2004), the largest and most comprehensive showcase of consumer electronics and imaging products in America, returns to New York City May 20&ndash;23, 2004 at the Hilton New York Hotel&mdash;the site of two popular HE Shows held in 2001 and 2002. Over 15,000 attendees are expected to visit the NY Hilton, optimized for the ultimate user experience. Unlike typical trade shows, HE2004 provides visitors with the opportunity of seeing and hearing the finest products in upscale hotel rooms, creating the best-sounding environments for demonstrating high-performance gear.

Financially, the winter months have been all over the map. Some electronics companies have reported <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/030804retailing/">upswings</A&gt; in revenue, but others are experiencing a decrease.

From the March 2004 issue, Michael Fremer goes a couple rounds with the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/304theta">Theta Digital Enterprise monoblock power amplifier</A>, exclaiming, "Monoblock power amplifiers seem to be moving in and out of my listening room faster than green-onion salsa from Chi-Chi's." So how does the Theta stand up to the competition? MF lays it out.

While Apple's iTunes and RealNetworks Rhapsody are battling it out in the music download ring (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/032204itunes">related story</A>), and Microsoft is rumored to be eyeing a corner, Sony has now decided to join the fray with a new music service announced last week in Europe.

Some months back, a poll at the Naxos of America <A HREF="http://www.naxos.com">website</A&gt; asked visitors about their preferences among high-resolution and multichannel formats. At that time, Naxos had been releasing DVD-As (and DVDs) in the US, but only released SACDs elsewhere.

Anyone over 40 who's worked in a hi-fi or record store will remember the Pfanstiehl catalog, a pulpy thing that most shopkeepers chained to their counters, like a phone book. Pfanstiehl made replacement styli for virtually every record-playing device of the day, and their catalog contained page after page of tiny line drawings of nothing but phonograph needles, all lovingly rendered in three-quarter view. You couldn't browse it without being brought up short: My God, how many different needles <I>are</I> there? And how is it possible that a single company could tool up for so many products and still make a profit?

For better or for worse, appearances can make a profound first impression. Think of the bold, muscular curves of an Audi TT coupe, the planes and facets of a Lamborghini Murcielago, the sleek lines of a Gulfstream jet. In these vehicles, function and art are combined with smooth facility and perfect aesthetic balance.