Easy as MP3

Convergence

MP3 on the Hi-Fi: Digital Audio Comes to the Living Room

Until recently, you could play digital audio on your PC or your portable player, but not on your stereo system. but that is beginning to change, with several vendors launching products that allow you to add MP3 and Internet radio capability to your high-fidelity stereo.

SonicBlue's Rio Receiver and Turtle Beach's Audiotron rely on a home networking connection to your PC to stream MP3, WMA, and WAV files from your PC to your stereo equipment; they do not contain a hard drive to store files. if you can get past the home networking obstacle--whether you use HomePNA phone-line networking or ethernet--either of these units can serve as a useful, reasonably priced (about $300 street) way to enjoy digital music in your home environment.

Some other products don't require a networking connection, but they're far pricier. the Compaq IPaq Music Center is available for about $600, while HP's Digital Entertainment Center is scheduled for release this fall at a list price of around $1000. Both have a built-in modem and HomePNA support; the Compaq supports ethernet as well. Each unit features a hard drive (20GB for the Compaq, 40GB for the HP) and a built-in CD reader; the HP product will also have a CD-RW drive.

Compaq's IPaq Music Center lets you buy CDs online and features Internet radio; your results with the latter will depend on your Internet connection. Both units have sleek, cool looks. In fact, the IPaq Music Center looked right at home with my Nakamichi receiver and other stereo components. (The HP unit was unavailable for testing for this article.)

And after just a few hours of playing a diverse selection of MP3s--which were ripped at the default 128 kbps, yet seemed on a par sonically with my audio CDs--I'm thoroughly convinced of the value such a unit provides. But the high price will put off many prospective users.

Built-In MP3

Philips has another appealing product if you're in the market for a new stereo system. Its $500 FW-i1000 compact mini-system includes an AM/FM tuner, dual cassette decks, a three-CD changer, and speakers. but the real hook--and the reason this model costs about $200 to $300 more than other Philips mini-systems--is the integrated Internet radio. The unit has an ethernet jack and can connect to Internet radio stations over a DSL or other broadband connection. The IM Networks Radio service provides about 700 Internet radio channels, but adding other stations is simple, especially via the Web, and you can create new stations without much trouble. Navigating the interface's buttons and dials is easier than you might expect (though it would become tedious if you tried browsing the full spectrum of channels). Still, the prospect of listening to Celtic radio from Ireland or to an old hometown favorite through your hi-fi--without using a PC--is very enticing.

--Melissa J. Perenson