Let the music play.

Home stereo unit digitally stores up to 7,000 songs

Ever wanted to play music that matched your mood, whether it was to wind down from a hard day of work or to get energized for a singles party? You would have to endure the time-consuming process of searching for the right discs and

Now imagine having your entire music collection--CDs, cassettes and vinyl records--in a unit the size of a VCR. With the touch of a remote control button, the unit would play any song,, album, artist, or genre--say, two hours of your favorite jazz selections.

Lydstrom's SongBank SL CD Memory System puts a whole new spin on home listening. This home stereo system, or digital jukebox, is a combination CD player, mega-changer and recorder in one. It has a hard drive that can store up to 7,000 songs, the equivalent of 350 hours of music, or 14.5 days' worth.

The SongBank is simple to use. Pop in a CD and the software "rips" it, digitally recording its contents or a selected portion thereof. You can actually plug the unit into your home entertainment system.

In addition, the SongBank is Internet-ready, with an internal modem and Ethernet card, so you can download MP3 files and other digitized music from the Web. A high-end version of the unit, which will be coming this fall, can hold more than 10,000 songs.

The SongBank is available from Boston-based Lydstrom for $799.95. But you might want to wait a month or two, when the company is expected to introduce a streamlined model that retails for $400. For now, you can order online at www.lydstrom.com or by calling 877-593-7876.