Annual gift guide, v3.0.(Sight and Sound)

Opera lovers are admittedly an analog bunch. But when an "upgrade" comes in the form of a new ceramic record needle or replacing the polyurethane buggies that you keep old playbills in, perhaps it's time to take the plunge into the increasingly pervasive digital realm. With a glut of powerful, beautifully designed high-tech gear coinciding with this year's holiday season, December's a good time to test your cyber-legs and make the jump (or give a hearty push to a family member in need). For your consideration, OPERA NEWS makes some particularly glittery gadget recommendations for the new year.

* Sony VAIO X505 $2,999,99

Less than an inch thick and weighing in at all anemic 1.8 pounds, this sleek notebook computer (pictured above) truly sets a new standard in portability and design: think the laptop equivalent of an Act III Mimi. The 10.4-inch screen (measured on a diagonal) and wireless LAN capabilities make it easy to check your e-mail or surf the web at Wi-Fi-friendly post-curtain coffee shops. There's no longer any need to throw away old documents or close programs to make space, with the generous 512 megabytes of RAM and a 20-gigabyte hard drive. Stability from the preinstalled Windows XP operating system means that you won't lose your twelve-page poetic paean to Stratas, mid-verse.

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* Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise-Cancelling Headphones $299

It should come as no surprise to the seasoned audiophile that a good set of headphones outshines some of the best speakers around in an acoustically awkward listening-room. But scientists at Bose assumed that your listening-room may be the Coach section of a Lear jet's cabin, with screaming child in close proximity. These headphones not only transparently deliver the deeply sublime bass frequencies of, say, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's "Erlkonig"; they also attenuate any distracting hubbub from the outside world via a noise-canceling correction signal perceived by sensory microphones in the carcup. The connection plug is removable, too, allowing you to use the noise-canceling effect when you're in need of some truly quiet time.

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