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Paul Bolin notes, "Bankers and doctors bought McIntosh, not 'serious' audiophiles. So ran the conventional wisdom." While reviewing the McIntosh">http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/804mcintosh">McIntosh MC501 monoblock power amplifier, PB discovers that conventional wisdom can be anything but wise.

The music industry is clearly redoubling its efforts to market DVD-Audio, with the proposed">http://www.stereophile.com/news/080904dualdisc/">proposed launch of the DualDisc format. Adding either video content or high-rez audio or both to a standard CD looks to be the new strategy for adding value—an acknowledgement that just offering non–CD-compatible high-rez audio is not enough.

Now there are four. The music industry's "Big Five" record labels officially became the "Big Four" on Thursday, August 5, as Sony Music Entertainment and Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) finalized a merger months in the making. The partners are the music divisions of Sony Corporation and German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, respectively.

From 2000, Brian Damkroger checks out the seductive Oracle">http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/1000oracle">Oracle CD player, commenting, "I couldn't help but wonder if the Oracle's sonic performance would be as unique and spectacular as its looks."

Once again, audiophiles can help themselves and others at the same time by participating in The Cable Company's ninth annual "Summer Against Hunger" campaign. The">http://Usedcable.com/">The Cable Company and a wide cross-section of its vendors (listed below) have set up a program by which up to 10% of The Cable Company's August sales are donated to CAREhttp://www.careusa.org/">CARE; and the International">http://www.theirc.org/">International Rescue Committee, with contributions to be used to assist the worldwide disaster relief efforts of those humanitarian organizations.

A move by RealNetworks to cut the umbilical cord between Apple's iPod and the company's iTunes Music Store has raised the ire of some execs in Cupertino. The computer pioneer is threatening legal and technical retaliation against its Seattle rival in the wake of a late July launch of a digital music technology called Harmony that enables the iPod to work with downloads from RealNetworks' music store.

From its origins as an obscure off-Broadway novelty act, Blue">http://www.blueman.com">Blue Man Group has grown to monster proportions, with authorized spinoffs performing in major cities throughout the world. The group is a permanent attraction in Las Vegas.