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From the August 2001 issue, we have Michael Fremer's illuminating review of the Audio">http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/394/">Audio Physic Avanti III loudspeaker. Fremer wonders how Audio Physic can top the outstanding price/performance success of its middle-of-the line Virgo">http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/147/">Virgo model with a speaker that costs twice as much. As Fremer asks, "Is the Avanti twice as good as the Virgo? More than twice as good? Or is it just another competent but undistinguished design?"

Maybe it's because those Yanks are so contentious, but it appears that most of the initial CD copy-protection activity is taking place in Europe (see previoushttp://www.stereophile.com/news/11113/">previous;). Last week, Phoenix, AZ–based SunnComm announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with Sonopresshttp://www.sonopress.de">Sonopress; of Germany for implementation of its MediaCloQ technology in manufacturing facilities located all over Europe.

When does cooperation become collusion? When does collusion become anti-competitive? Investigators at the US Justice Department have begun asking such questions in regard to plans by major music labels to make their wares available on the Internet.

Summer is traditionally the slowest time of the year for electronics retailers. July 2001 confirmed the pattern, with sales figures down significantly from previous months.

Last week, InterTrust">http://www.InterTrust.com/">InterTrust Technologies, which creates Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, and format developer DataPlayhttp://www.dataplay.com">DataPlay; announced a partnership intended to create a portable media distribution platform for protected content such as music. Universal Music Group, EMI Recorded Music, and BMG Entertainment have all announced that they are planning to release prerecorded music on the resultant DataPlay digital format for use in a variety of consumer electronic devices.

While Napster was thriving a few short months ago, the music business was noisily seething and quietly plotting. How could they put the digital audio genie back into the content-control bottle? Although Napster has since been gutted, the labels have identified the unprotected CD as the source of their woes, and now it's payback time.

Like the proverbial camel who took over the tent after getting just his nose in, it appears that once copy protection is given an inch, it will inevitably try to get in all the way. At least that's how it appears with an increasing variety of CD copy protection systems now currently being tested en masse by the major record labels. Latest to announce a new "evaluation agreement" is BMG Entertainment, which will use and evaluate SunnComm's MediaCloQ "digital content cloaking technology", first put to the test earlier in the year on a Charley Pride CD (see">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11004/">see previous).