LATEST ADDITIONS

A year-end report by Nielsen <A HREF="http://www.soundscan.com">SoundScan</A&gt;, which tracks retail activity, states that compact disc sales through December 22, 2002, were off 9.3% compared to the same period the previous year, with 624.2 million units sold compared to 688.2 sold in 2001. Of all recorded music sold, 94% of it was on CD, the remainder on cassette tape and vinyl records. An insignificant amount of music was sold as legitimate downloads from industry-sponsored music sites. SoundScan did not expect the last week of December to impact the year's total.

NAD has been out there on the leading edge of entry-level high-end sound long enough that some audiophiles reckon they <I>invented</I> the category. Sure, we should give serious props to the likes of Creek, Rotel, Musical Fidelity, Arcam, Denon, and Parasound, all of which have made significant contributions to the musical aspirations of budget-conscious pilgrims. But I continue to harbor warm feelings about my last extended visit with an NAD component: the inexpensive yet supremely musical L40 CD Receiver, which I reviewed in the June 2000 <I>Stereophile</I>.

We've got the music business singing the blues with record sales down across the chart. Do you think the music from 2001 stacks up to that of previous years?

As we wrap up the year, what do you consider the best CD/LP/SACD/DVD-A release from 2001?

It's a brave new music world.

It's widely acknowledged that the American economy is in a downturn, but some economic indicators point otherwise.

As Jonathan Scull reports in his review of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/474/">Class&#233; Omega Super Audio CD player</A>, "Class&#233; has guts. These are uncertain times, but here they are with an audiophile classic: an expensive two-channel Super Audio CD player." Read how one of the first SACD machines from a high-end audio company stacks up.