LATEST ADDITIONS

<I>The Register</I> reports that scientists have developed a material with a negative refractive index, which means it causes light to bounce off it "backwards" at speeds that "appear faster than the speed of light."

Over at <I>Home Theater</I>'s website, Fleischmann's arch blend of understatement and geekiness is the sort of stuff I wish I could write consistently. A recommended daily read. Yes, I know him, and yes, I share an employer with him, but this encomium comes from the heart.

The competition's fierce, but KFC's new Famous Bowls just might take the, um, cake, according to Dan Neil.

In May, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) <A HREF="http://stereophile.com/news/052206xmtrials/">sued</A&gt; XM Satellite Radio over the <A HREF="http://www.xm-radio-satellite.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=… Inno</A> portable player, which has a 1GB recording capacity, but no way of porting the recordings outside the player.

Audio professionals and "prosumers" with home studios have long sung the praises of NHT's compact powered monitor, the M-00 (affectionately called "the moo"); powered subwoofer, the S-00 (don't make us say it); and passive volume control, the PVC (a JA favorite). Until July 18, however, these products were only available at studio suppliers and professional audio sales centers. NHT, acceding to "growing demand and an evolving market," will now allow its specialty audio dealer network to offer the formerly Pro products to their clientele as part of NHT's PC Hi-Fi line.

I am a Revel junkie. Their <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/302">Ultima Studio</A>s have been my reference loudspeakers for years, and I've spent many happy hours with their <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/244">Performa F-30</A>s and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/89">Ultima Gem</A>s. They're all great speakers. When the original Gem was launched, it was made clear that all the corporate and economic weight of Revel's parent company, Harman International, was behind the development of this new line. When I visited Revel some years back, I saw cutting-edge design and development, in-house manufacturing of the most critical parts under the tightest scrutiny, and quality control of nearly compulsive meticulousness. All of this was reflected in the speakers' prices, which were reasonable for their quality and performance.

When I review an affordable loudspeaker, first impressions are important. Once I've unpacked the speaker, noted the quality of its construction and finish, and have complimented or grumbled about the ergonomics of its five-way binding posts, I fire 'er up and give 'er a first listen. Occasionally, the sound will put a smile on my face, either because I'm impressed with the amount of uncolored detail emanating from such an affordable product, or because the speaker sounds so sweet that I'm intoxicated.