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Readers frequently ask me how <I>Stereophile</I>'s writers select equipment for review. More often than not, a writer comes up with a review candidate because he's heard it or heard about it, and then suggests it to editor John Atkinson for possible review. JA encourages this behavior&#151;a writer excited about reviewing a component is more likely to produce an article that's interesting and informative. That said, occasionally a review candidate surfaces at <I>Stereophile</I> HQ; in such cases, JA assigns it to one of us.

I was in some sort of mood. Must’ve been the heat. I listened to:

Audiophiles often find themselves the go-to person for audio advice and shopping assistance. Have you ever helped someone buy their first audio system? How did it go?

To woo a mate, the male bowerbird builds <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/07/bowerbirds/laman-photography"… elaborate nest</a>.

<i>Tris McCall has some trouble getting a hold of Joanna Newsom. Apparently, he’s not the only one. Photo: Annabel Mehran</i>

I took her advice and went for a walk, but didn’t get more than half a block from the office before spotting two large, green dumpsters filled to their brims with paperwork, notebooks, and other office supplies. As I approached, something else caught my eye. Atop the pile of stuff were two fully-stocked, wooden cassette shelves in very good condition.

Spiral Groove's new Centroid tonearm ($6000) arrived just a few days before press time, so it would be risky to say anything definitive about it. But I will take that risk: using the system described in <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/turntables/spiral_groove_sg2_turntable/">my review</A> of the SG2 turntable, this may be the best tonearm I've heard. Its sound is different in ways that will open people's ears, and I predict that it will affect the design of every tonearm from now on. The Centroid's design deserves and will await full coverage in its own review, but here are the basics: It's a fluid-damped unipivot design unlike any other that gives the user fine adjustment of all relevant parameters.