My first response, upon being offered for review the new Burmester 232 Classic Line modular class-AB dual-mono integrated amplifier ($25,000), was apprehension—but not because of the product itself, and certainly not because of the Burmester brand. I had already been won over by the pair of Burmester 218 Top Line stereo power amplifiers ($50,000/each) I reviewed in the October 2024 issue.

It's difficult to put a positive spin on moving. A recent survey ranked it as life's most stressful event, ahead of divorce, losing a job, or becoming a parent. Forty-two percent of respondents said it brought them to tears. Thirteen percent said it was worse than a week in jail.

In these days of industry transformation, acquiring a brick-and-mortar hi-fi store is not for the faint of heart. That's just what 41-year-old Brandon Bartee did in August 2025. Bartee acquired Audio Concepts from Mark Ashworth, who was celebrating the store's 40th anniversary, all 40 years under his ownership.

Recently, my good friend Bryan invited himself over for a "critical listening session" at my place. This was out of character. Typically our listening sessions are not of the "critical" variety. They take place late at night after several cocktails, neat bourbon in hand. Volume knobs are torqued. The choice of recorded material tends toward early Lynyrd Skynyrd (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), that one Hank Williams Jr. album that doesn't suck (The Almeria Club Recordings), and one of two Def Leppard albums (Pyromania or (Hysteria).

John Vanore & Abstract Truth: Easter Island Suite
Vanore, trumpet, flugelhorn, compositions, arrangements; 27 others
Acoustical Concepts AC-160 (CD). 1989, 2012, 2024/2026. Vanore, prod.; Terry Hoffman, Richard King, John Senior, engs.

Legendary Stax guitarist/producer Steve Cropper hated when deejays talked over song intros. He decided to do something about it for the countless hit singles cut at the label's Memphis studio in the 1960s. As a result of his efforts, Cropper—who passed away on December 3, 2025, at age 84—became known as "The Intro Guy," a sobriquet he was proud to honor.

Billy Hart: Multidirectional; John O'Gallagher: Ancestral; Thomas Strønen's Time Is A Blind Guide: Off Stillness; Peter McEachern Quintet: Streamin'.

M'a dit Amour, Julia Roset, soprano, Susan Manoff, piano; Ravel: Chamber Music, Nash Ensemble; Lalo | Bonis | Debussy | Ravel: Art Nouveau: French Chamber Music Around 1900, Trio Wanderer.

Salt Collective: A Brief History of Blindness; Geese: Getting Killed; Tame Impala: Deadbeat; Tortoise: Touch.