Thank you 2025, you've been a blast!

If there’s one thing this year has proven, it’s that we need music more than ever!

When seemingly all news is bad news, and against a backdrop of wars, genocide, desperation, migrants, drone warfare, fake news, blatant lies and misinformation, Lyric Hifi drives on and even flourishes, because music is our fuel.

"Music is a universal language of emotion", thanks for that one IST.

It can take your head and heart to new places, to escapes and to imaginations.

The best hifi systems do this better, they will feed your soul. After all what else are they for?

While magazines will talk hifi-speak about imaging and out-of-the-box and dynamics they miss what a system is for, to give you an emotional reaction; be that joy, misery or melancholia.

When we lose musical heroes and play their work to remember them, a great music system works wonders. I've had a few days of Chris Rea recently, playing the Water Sign album and similar days this year with Ozzy Osbourne, Roberta Flack, Brian Wilson and of course Buster Poindexter. Poignant to live at a time when we can access all of this instantly and in studio quality. Although I do still dig out the vinyl for some of them.

On a brighter note, there have been memorable new products this year. Arcam's A plus amplifiers have been so successful, likewise the latest Rega Brio. At the other end of the price scale we have waited 18 months for the Rega Mercury and Solis amplifier combo and I'm loving them. Is it expensive or cheap? Both probably.

KEF have made a ground breaking soundbar in the Xio, hopefully their next new series will be easier to pronounce. Naim completed their 300 series, special shout out for the NAP350 power amplifiers. Chord Electronics keep on refining and improving winning awards and still making their kit in the UK.

In a somewhat surprising move, Bose has bought the Sonus Faber/McIntosh group. A bold statement of intent indeed, who next??

Product of the year though has to be the Rega Planar 3 RS turntable. Rega has raised the bar high, giving better performance and exceptional value. While everyone else raises prices Rega have given us more than ever for the money and the P3 RS richly deserves the acclaims it has garnered.

Our industry keeps on innovating and I love it for that. Brings out the geek in me.

From Adaptive Biasing to Ceramic 3D printing, I've seen new boundaries breached in 2025, bring on more in 2026.

A peaceful New Year to all our happy customers, you're a good bunch!

And many more of them, both customers and years!

Cheers to you all

Michael