Paul Messenger

Loudspeakers are all about balancing conflicting variables: accepting that you can't have electrostatic transparency <I>and</I> horn dynamics; finding something to suit the size of your room <I>and</I> credit rating; and picking the best all-around compromise to suit your particular taste. Goldilocks had the right attitude for loudspeaker reviewing. All that too-soft/too-hard, too-hot/too-cold merely sets the scene; "just right" goes straight to the heart of the matter.

Now that we know how often you attend classical music events, how often in the past year have you attended live jazz concerts?

<B>HAYDN: Symphonies 99 & 102</B><BR>
Frans Br&#252;ggen, Orchestra of the 18th Century<BR>
Philips 434 077-2 (CD only). Sieuwer Verster, prod.; Jaap Bogaart, eng. DDD. TT: 48:57<BR>
<B>HAYDN: Symphonies 100 & 104</B><BR>
Frans Br&#252;ggen, Orchestra of the 18th Century<BR>Philips 434 096-2 (CD only). DDD. TT: 53:35

<I>Stardate:</I> 3087.6. <I>Location:</I> somewhere in the 4th quadrant. In response to Captain Kirk's orders, Mr. Sulu throws a few well-chosen levers and sliders&mdash;not much different in design and function from those used by Flash Gordon and Captain Video&mdash;to redirect the Good Ship Enterprise where no man has boldly gone before. New adventures begin immediately after the bridge crew pick themselves up off the deck and nonchalantly resume their stations.

The plumber's here, and he says we need a new hot-water heater because the one we have now isn't maintaining the correct water temperature, and because it's been in use for nine years. "And the thing is, this is a five-year heater." I responded by repeating his last six words, only louder, and with decorations. And I couldn't help thinking: <I>I've had phono cartridges that lasted longer than that.</I> And none of them have attacked me in the shower when my wife flushed the toilet, either.

Every autumn, the <A HREF="http://www.CE.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA) publishes its "Five Technologies to Watch" list of "technology trends poised to shape the consumer electronics industry" in the year ahead. Most of the choices may seem obvious, but the final entry on the list this year may be a surprise for audiophiles.

Over the past year, the Recording Industry Association of America (<A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">RIAA</A&gt;) has made significant headway in its multi-front war against commercial piracy, according to a detailed report issued by the trade group October 21.