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<I>Screeeeeeech, thump, thump, vroooooom...</I>

What's next for you? Your last CD player? Your first SACD player? DVD-Audio? Looking forward to multichannel music? Still satisfied with two-channel stereo? Maybe you're waiting for an affordable combination SACD/DVD-A multichannel player, or for the format feud to shake out and leave a clear winner. So many options, so much excitement, so little software.

<B>JOHN HIATT: <I>The Tiki Bar is Open</I></B><BR> Vanguard 79593 (CD). 2001. Jay Joyce, prod.; Nico Bolas, eng. Greg Parker, asst. eng. ADD? TT: 44:55<BR>Performance <B>****</B><BR> Sonics <B>****</B>

It was a late Friday afternoon in May and I wasn't having much luck getting into Sony's multichannel SACD demo room at the Home Entertainment 2001 Show. Surely, as a member of the audio press and a freelance writer for <I>Stereophile</I>, I should have no trouble. Not this time. After several polite "Nos," a Sony consultant managed to snare for me the last ticket of the day.

Some of us love to pry off the cover at the first hint of trouble, while others won't lift a screwdriver. What do you do when a piece of equipment dies?

Will the official online music gates finally stream open and flood us with non-pirated tunes? Perhaps. One important step in the process has finally been taken. The <A HREF="http://www.nmpa.org">National Music Publishers' Association</A> (NMPA), the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), and the <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America</A> (RIAA) announced last week that they have come to a "breakthrough" agreement on the licensing of musical works for new subscription services on the Internet.

Many audiophiles agree that dedicated AC circuits can make notable improvements in the performance of hi-fi equipment. If you are planning to run a dedicated AC line, <A HREF="http://www.jpslabs.com">JPS Labs</A> has a product for you.

It's a Mac attack! First up is Jonathan Scull's take on the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/428/">McIntosh MC1201 monoblock power amplifier</A>. Festooning his listening loft with a pair of the "Great American Icons," J-10 is ready to rumble with "the biggest power meters you ever saw this side-a Milwaukee."

Although it <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11129/">announced support</A> for SACD in early September, the world's third-largest record label, <A HREF="http://www.emigroup.com">EMI Music Distribution</A>, says it is also gearing up for a full slate of DVD-Audio titles. While the company has numerous new releases available, these will be the first to come from its back catalog.

Napster may be down for the count, but audio file-sharing is more popular than ever, according to a study released October 10 by research firm <A HREF="http://www.jmm.com">Jupiter Media Metrix Inc</A>.