The New Order

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I'm a hold out. I never listen to music over my computer, even as I've become increasingly aware that the traditional CD and/or turntable-amplifier-speaker based hi-fi system is on its way out, and that some of the most revered audiophile manufacturers like McIntosh, Linn, and Kaleidescape are designing component-grade music servers.

So sure, my interest is piqued, but I have a fantastic high-end audio system, why would I ever want to listen to tunes over my computer?

Rational Exuberance

John Curl is a superstar high-end electronics designer. In the early 1970s, he worked his magic on the Grateful Dead’s concert and recording sound systems and later kept the Jefferson Airplane aloft, just before tackling film sound in Hollywood. All of that led to collaborations with high-end pioneer Mark Levinson; together they raised the stakes, considerably, with their legendary solid-state preamplifier, the JC 2, in 1974.

AMERICAN HI-FI REDUX
Based in Ogden, Utah, Zu Cable and Loudspeakers is reinvigorating high-end speaker design.

We take it for granted that high-end audio products are simpler than mainstream gear, with less processing and fewer knobs. But when Mark Levinson introduced the JC-2 preamp back in 1974, the audio world was shocked by its omission of tone controls and other gewgaws. In this and many other ways, the Mark Levinson brand has been one of the important trendsetters in audio. Which is why its relative silence of late has been puzzling.

The very best audiophile gear is, like most of today's luxury products, substantially sized, glamorous, and breathtakingly expensive. Lucky me, I live with steady parade of the stuff, but maybe I need a breather, just as some restaurant critics enjoy the pleasures afforded by a simple meal prepared with just a few well-chosen ingredients. Enter Atoll Electronique. It is French, reasonably priced, and has definite audiophile street cred, so Atoll might be just the "palate cleanser" I am looking for.

Superstar chef Mario Batali’s credo, "Wretched excess is just barely enough," could be applied to most luxury pursuits: cars, watches, boats and my favorite indulgence, high-end audio. Dan D’Agostino, Krell Industries’ co-founder and chief designer, has a bit of Mario in him—he is an accomplished cook and drives a silver Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder "for the fun of it."

This fall marks the release of the 21st official James Bond film, featuring the sixth actor to assume the mantle of 007, and the Internet community is abuzz with controversy over every minute detail of the movie. No Q this time around? Say it isn’t so! No Moneypenny? No gadgets? And a blond Bond? Downright heresy, according to some. Whether these changes end up saving or sinking the franchise remains to be seen, but even the most optimistic fan must admit that the filmmakers took a huge gamble.

The eight boldfaced bullet points include "Four HDMI Inputs" and "Leading-Edge Format Video Conversion." In fact, every paragraph on the page has to do with video. Am I reading a sales sheet for a plasma TV? No, I am looking over the press release for the new Anthem Statement D2 surround-sound processor. The entire document concentrates on video switching and processing. A surround processor is supposed to be about sound, right?