The Best Bet
In the MP3 era, it’s easy to forget that CDs really do sound better, no matter what your teen downloading fiend might claim.Musical Fidelity’s new X-Ray V3 player ($999) should put a definitive end to all arguments. Modestly sized (8.5 by 14.9 by 3.9 inches), it features 24-bit, 96-kilohertz upsampling, a technology that fills in the sonic gaps in CDs, which are recorded at a lower 16-bit, 44-kilohertz fidelity. Translation: three times greater sound resolution than most players, at half the price you’d normally pay for it. With a 75-amp peak current, the accompanying X-150 amplifier ($999) is more powerful than any other of its size, allowing it to effortlessly meet the dynamic requirements of any speaker (Sound by Singer; 212-924-8600 or soundbysinger.com).
(1)Featherweight cashmere eases the transition from winter to spring. Christopher Fischer’s sweaters and cardigans are perfect to layer over a T-shirt or camisole or under a blazer ($140 to $275; 212-965-9009).
(2) Unlike computer-generated designs, Miscellaneous’s table was drawn by hand, resulting in an irregular but beautiful pattern based on a doily. In black, yellow, clear, or gray acrylic ($800, through Lisa Fontanarosa; 505-872-1929).
(3)The New York Botanical Garden’s annual orchid show runs through March 27, and this Phalaenopsis tropical quince, in new colors, is one of the few moth orchids that’s fragrant ($64 at the Shop in the Garden; 718-817-8073).
(4)The bar at the
(5) For the first time in its 89-year history, Acqua di Parma has created a fragrance just for women. Light and flowery with a touch of vanilla, Iris Nobile is bottled in a thirties design that was never produced until now ($74 to $118 at Bergdorf Goodman).