2025: A TM Year in Review & Images

Time is funny—an hour can feel like a second, a day can feel like a week, a week can feel like a month, and a month can feel like a minute.

For a number of reasons, both personal and professional, 2025 was a year of keeping my head down and focusing on the work at hand. And I’m happy to share this work and accumulation of time and content, TM is entering our 8th year, helped make 2025 our best ever in terms of traffic, which is a good metric if all we care about are numbers.

What I find of greater value is gaining experience over time and hopefully producing more informative reviews, sharing thoughts, venturing out into the world for the occasional hifi show or event, and sharing new music that shows up each week like an endless Spring forever flourishing and nourishing our inner selves. While it may seem at odds with an online publication, I also value the personal connections made through this work.

On that note, my favorite greeting at shows and events—”Hey! You’re the guy with the barn!”

As a year in review, I’d like to point to some radical new technology, some great advance that changed the way we interact with and appreciate music but as far as I’m concerned the industry also appeared to be in a heads down mode focusing on the work at hand. Seeing as that work is dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of music, it is—when all is said and done and argued over—a noble endeavor indeed and we are very fortunate to have the time and means to revel in its outcome.

Here’s wishing you & yours a Happy, Healthy & Music-Filled Holiday.

2025: A TM Year In Images

I take thousands of photos of gear in a given year and when one comes together—subject, light, perspective—I smile. While gear photos should show off the gear in isolation, that’s what manufacturer photos are for, I enjoy taking pics that present things in a different light, from another angle. And it’s always fun to include a little Barn.

Here are a few of my personal favorites.

Luxman L-505Z Integrated Amplifier (review) & Aurender A1000 Music Server / Streamer / DAC / Preamp (review)

Canton Reference 2 Floorstanding Speakers (review)

Gauder Akustik Capello 100 Loudspeakers (review)

Pathos InPol Heritage MKII Integrated Amplifier (review)

Soulution 331 Integrated Amplifier (review)

YG Acoustics Sonja 3.3 Loudspeakers (review)

Bel Canto Design Black ACI 600 Integrated Amplifier (review)

Wattson Audio Madison Amplifier & Madison LE Streaming DAC (review)

Harbeth NLE-1 Professional Monitor Loudspeakers (review)

Treehaus Audiolab 300B-2 SET Amplifier (review)

DeVore Fidelity O/Bronze Loudspeakers (review)

Audia Flight Strumento Series N°1 evo Stereo Preamplifier (review)

totaldac d1-CD Transport (review)

Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero Loudspeakers (more info) (I’m toying with the idea of putting a logo on images since a bunch have been used without permission but I kinda hate the look)