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The American computer industry was a little shaken up to learn recently that the Japanese micro manufacturers had gotten together and standardized their component interconnections so that any Japanese computer will (supposedly) plug into any Japanese printer, modem, or competing computer, and work right off the bat. Anybody who has tried to fire up an Apple computer with a Diablo (Xerox) printer will appreciate what the Japanese move means in terms of compatibility. It means "For no-hassle interconnections, buy Japanese."

Now that audio technology seems to be on the verge of being able to do anything asked of it, it seems only fitting to wonder about what we should be asking it to do. We probably all agree that high fidelity should yield a felicitous reproduction of music, but felicitous to what? Should a system give an accurate replica of what is on the disc, or of the original musical sounds?

I had an experience at last summer's CES in Chicago that bordered on the religious. I heard the legendary $42,000 Wilson WAMM system.

I…uh, I…I just don’t know what to say, but I’m definitely making this my new theme song.

Some risky business is going on at the Blue Note, the posh jazz club on West 3rd Street in Manhattan.

Beautiful plus beautiful equals more beautiful. Phoenix pairs Grizzly Bear’s “Foreground” with Brian Eno’s “Discreet Music” and offers instructions for mixing in some chance operations. Click <a href="http://wearephoenix.com/grizzly_bear_remix/">here</a&gt; and make magic.

When asked how to create a good recording, John Atkinson will tell you to use good musicians in a good room. The people behind <a href="http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/">Benchmark Media Systems</a>, makers of some of today’s most highly regarded digital audio converters, headphone amps, and mic preamps, agree.