T.H.E. Show 2019

When I entered my penultimate Scott Walker Audio room, Kevin Wolff of Bowers & Wilkins was playing outtakes from a 1989 recording by Branford Marsalis. The sound of Marsalis's sax was so distinctive and, to my ears, beautiful that I began to smile. (Trumpet was another instrument whose sound this system conveyed with perfection.) As Kevin segued into a 16/44.1 file of Thomas Dolby's "I Scare Myself," I scribbled in my notebook, "This is a system that reminds you of what the high end is all about."

Despite some booming, the McIntosh midrange came through in spades. When Kevin next turned to Harnoncourt's recording of the Mozart Requiem, the system's ability to convey the scale of a large orchestra left me wishing I could win the lottery so we could expand our music room.

"These speakers breathe humanity" were my final notes about the pairing of Bowers & Wilkins 800D3 speakers ($30,000/pair) with two Bowers & Wilkins DB1 Subwoofers ($9000 total). The other essentials of this system: McIntosh C1100 preamp with phono stage ($14,000), MC611 mono amplifiers ($15,000/pair), MCD550 CD player ($6500), and MT10 turntable ($11,000); Aurender A30 server ($18,000); Bowers & Wilkins Formation audio server/streamer ($699); Solid Tech racks and stands ($6500); and Synergistic Research PowerCell 12 UEF SE power conditioner ($6495), Atmosphere cabling ($29,500 total), and room acoustics products ($4500).