AC power has long been the bugaboo of high-end audio&#151;necessary to power the electronics, but prone to polluting the audio signal path with unwanted noise. American boutique manufacturer <A href="http://www.veloceaudio.us">Veloce Audio</A> has come up with a unique and elegant solution to this problem in its LS-1 vacuum-tube preamp&#151;put the power supply and audio electronics in completely separate boxes and run the electronics with a rechargeable battery.

At CES last January, <A href="http://www.snellacoustics.com">Snell Acoustics</A> announced the availability of its Phantom B7 speaker, which was first shown at CES 2009. What makes the Phantom B7 special? It's engineered to provide much of the performance of the company's flagship Illusion A7 at a fraction of the price and size.

<A href="http://www.nbscables.com">NBS</A> is perhaps best known for high-end cables&#151;its URL is nbscables.com, after all&#151;but this American boutique audio company also makes a few unusual speakers and electronic components. I'm especially intrigued by the Universal Power Amplifier (UPA), a unique monoblock that is truly universal in design and operation.

<A href="http://www.cepro.com/article/say_goodbye_to_analog_ports_on_blu_ray_play... Pro reported yesterday</A> that Blu-ray players made after December 31, 2010, will be required to downconvert high-def content to 480i or 576i for their component-video outputs. Who has the authority to require this? The <A href="http://www.aacsla.com/home">AACS Licensing Administrator</A>, that's who. This industry-wide organization develops and maintains the Advanced Access Content System, a critical element in the effort to combat piracy by managing how content can be viewed and copied.