http://www.e-town.com

There's something refreshingly old-fashioned about conversation in E-Town. Established to focus on home electronic items, the term "consumer electronics" in E-Town tends to mean largely what it meant 20 years ago--audio and video. Not that the world of personal computers is overlooked--not by a long shot! But the regulars here love their home entertainment components. They revel in the fidelity and dynamics of their stereos, in the crispness of their video reproduction. The result is heaven on the Web for people who love their geegaws. With its extremely well-thought out feature articles, columns, product reviews and buying guide, there's a ton of information to pour through--often providing points you had never previously considered. The site's lively message board offers many spirited exchanges of information and opinion, and while views may differ, the conversation is generally congenial. Here the seemingly ancient debate over the merits of tube versus solid state amplifiers continues alongside discussions of what's up in the realm of digital video discs, what's the best camera for family videos, and whether WebTV is truly The Next Big Thing or a silly idea whose time will soon pass. The regulars here know their stuff, and while there's serious talk regarding technical specifications of every doodad that's ever been wired into a home entertainment system, most explanations are clear enough to let non-technical readers to catch the gist. A separate area carries user reviews, user polls, contests and classifieds. - E.L.

subject matter: recreation

regional affiliation: global

format: conferencing

language: English

cost: no cost