RAMBLINGS.

Welcome to Issue #73, an issue with a focus on transducers -- from tiny phono cartridges to towering speakers. In other words, we are looking where the motion comes into the system, and the emotion goes out -- where there are compromises to be made, and nowhere to hide. This all means work for reviewers, fun for readers, anxiety for manufacturers -- a splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Editors have a much different perspective on time than do readers. As I write this, for example, Issue 72 has only been out for a week or so, Issue 73 has been done on my end for a week or so (all the files except this one have been sent to New York for final layout and printing), and I am already starting to do final editing on many parts of Issue 74 and am setting aside things that will go into Issue 75. As I type these words, Issue 72 is still new to most of you; but as you read these words, Issue 72 will already be old and forgotten and you will be wondering what is in this issue -- to me, however, this issue will be way in the past, Issue 74 will be just about completed, and I'll be hard at work on Issue 75. So please excuse me if I sometimes seem a bit confused ...

In the brief time since Issue 72, our special recordings issue, went to press, I have already received comments about its content from four individuals, one of which is printed in Forum. As you will be able to read for yourself, speaker designer Mithat Konar really enjoyed reading about the music that our reviewers favor. I also received a couple of highly complimentary comments from two other industry representatives, one from a subwoofer company and the other from a manufacturer of components. On the other hand, I also received an e-mail from a long-time subscriber that took me to task for devoting so much of the issue to recordings. This gentlemen stated that he reads our magazine for advice about music equipment, not for advice about music. He said that he subscribed to American Record Guide, Gramophone, and Fanfare, and that they do a better job than we do in reviewing classical music, his main interest.

Sadly enough, even though his letter was well-argued and quite interesting, he indicated that it was not for publication. Fair enough. No, we are not primarily a music review magazine, but we do love music, and we will continue to devote a good amount of space to reviews of recordings. Note, however, that our reviews are not intended to be musicological expositions; instead, they are a reflection of our love for music and our desire to share our love for music with our fellow audio enthusiasts. We too read American Record Guide, Gramophone, and Fanfare -- plus Downbeat, Jazziz, Musician, and other sources of musical fact and opinion. We just love music!

How to Communicate with Us -- To order a new subscription, change an address on an existing subscription, order our back issue set, or take care of some other subscription-related matter, our business telephone is [phone], our business fax is [phone], our business address is 403 Darwin Drive, Snyder, NY 14226, and our business e-mail address is [e-mail]. To correspond about any editorial matters, submit equipment for review, pass along hot audio gossip, put us on your mailing list, or just blow off steam, write KWN directly at 9775 Mills Road, Ostrander, OH 43061. To submit a classified ad or inquire about display advertising, please give Don Nowak a call at [phone] or send him an e-mail at [e-mail].

Previews of Coming Attractions -- Among the equipment we have in or have been promised for review are speakers/subwoofers from Atlantic Technology, B&W, Legacy Audio, Linn, NHT, Ohm Acoustics, Paradigm, Polk Audio, PSB, Sunfire, and Velodyne; amplifiers/integrated amplifiers from Arcam, Krell, Lexicon, Linn, NAD, and Rotel; preamps/processors from Sunfire and Theta; and much more, including some comments on LP playback, some equalizer reviews, headphone reviews, plenty of music reviews, and a few surprises -- some little, some big. -- KWN

One Last Thought: "High-quality music is so desperately needed to counteract secular sounds." -- Neal A. Maxwell