If you're looking for big sound from a small radio, this one stands alone: the new Cambridge SoundWorks Radio CD. Its sound is very deep and rich, better than some mini-component systems, and not even in the same market as other tabletop units. It is very good, especially at the price. You'll compare it to the quality of more expensive home stereo systems. The sound is that remarkable.

Hillman compares the era to the 1996 Tom Hanks movie That Thing You Do!, which depicts a fictional ‘60s group that hits it big overnight. “That was what the Byrds was like. That was who we were, and what we were,” he says. McGuinn finds the movie analogy apt, though it brings back memories of a more manic sort.

“The girls, the fans were actually pretty brutal,” McGuinn recalls. “They tried to rip your clothes off, they stole my license plates, they tackled me running from the gig to my car. You thought you were in physical danger. It was before good security. Or monitors. Our first amplifier was basically a home stereo system.”

The Byrds, as Tom Petty writes in the liner notes, gave fans of American rock something to be proud of in the British invasion days. But remarkably, the original lineup never even made it to the two-year mark. Clark left after a nervous breakdown in early 1966; Crosby was fired by McGuinn and Hillman the following year, around the same time Clarke left. Crosby, of course, went on to greater fame in a certain supergroup with Stephen Stills and company, and the Byrds would later discover and recruit such legendary talents as Gram Parsons and Clarence White.

Don't be stuck for gift ideas this Christmas.

Gizoo are recommending some great stocking fillers, perfect for loved ones and their iPods.iPod RCA/Phono Retractable 80cm Cable - £8.95Have the freedom to play your favourite iPod tunes through your home stereo system with this clever cable. Create your own playlist on your iPod and the play it through the speakers of your choice for everyone to hear! And by outputting the sounds from the Dock Connector, optimum volume and clarity of sound are a sure thing.

With the crackdown on piracy, it's getting harder to find programs that allow you to use your property the way you wish. At last look, Magicbit - a DVD-to-audio ripping program - is still around. It converts your DVD soundtracks to MP3 or uncompressed WAV files, among others. It's available as a free download or purchase ($25) at dvd2portable.com. Or, for $25, you can get the Magicbit DVD Direct to iPod version. There's also a Magicbit for the PSP. (Reader Pauker purchased the program and said he ripped all of his DVD soundtracks to his iPod in one afternoon.)I have my TV, VCRs and DVD player hooked to my home stereo system. My stereo is probably 10 or 12 years old. Can you recommend a decent home-theater-in-a box?