Aaron Sherrick of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s Now Listen Here is an old hand at making show systems sing. He pulled off his magic trick in Jersey as he has at shows far and wide, as well as inside his Harrisburg storefront.
Sherrick’s system included a VPI Avenger Direct turntable ($40,000; additional tonearm $6200), the new Backert Labs Optik Phono 1.1 ($11,500; intended for use with DS Labs optical cartridges). Phono cartridges were the DS Audio W3 ($5500) and W3 Mono ($5500). Other source duties called upon were a Rockna Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($26,900) and an Innuos ZENith Next-Gen music server ($21,700). (See Editor Jim Austin's review.)
Amplification was a VAC Signature Mk IIa SE preamp ($21,000; $28,500 with tube phono stage) and a pair of VAC Signature 202 iQ Musicbloc amplifiers ($22,000 each).
Valerio Cora’s Acora Acoustics MRC-3 speakers ($23,490/pair, exotic finishes; $15,990/pair, standard finishes) transduced electrons into sound, assisted by a REL Carbon Special Black Label subwoofer ($4999 each.).
Cabling was by AudioQuest: Angel phono RCA ($1299/1.2m), Pegasus XLR ($2295/1m), Diamond USB ($899/0.75m), Diamond Ethernet ($1895/0.75m), Brave Heart speaker ($4990/8’ pair), Hurricane Constant Current power ($1745/1m), Hurricane High Current power ($2095/1m). Also assisting was an AudioQuest Niagara 7000 power conditioner ($12,500).
Whether playing vinyl from vocalist Rebecca Pidgeon singing "Spanish Harlem" or streaming Madonna’s "Vogue," Sherrick’s system played with a sense of calm assurance. The Pidgeon sounded earthy, dense, natural, and affecting. This system oozed smooth and serene, like scotch and chocolate on a cold winter day.
Sherrick’s system included a VPI Avenger Direct turntable ($40,000; additional tonearm $6200), the new Backert Labs Optik Phono 1.1 ($11,500; intended for use with DS Labs optical cartridges). Phono cartridges were the DS Audio W3 ($5500) and W3 Mono ($5500). Other source duties called upon were a Rockna Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($26,900) and an Innuos ZENith Next-Gen music server ($21,700). (See Editor Jim Austin's review.)
Amplification was a VAC Signature Mk IIa SE preamp ($21,000; $28,500 with tube phono stage) and a pair of VAC Signature 202 iQ Musicbloc amplifiers ($22,000 each).
Valerio Cora’s Acora Acoustics MRC-3 speakers ($23,490/pair, exotic finishes; $15,990/pair, standard finishes) transduced electrons into sound, assisted by a REL Carbon Special Black Label subwoofer ($4999 each.).
Cabling was by AudioQuest: Angel phono RCA ($1299/1.2m), Pegasus XLR ($2295/1m), Diamond USB ($899/0.75m), Diamond Ethernet ($1895/0.75m), Brave Heart speaker ($4990/8’ pair), Hurricane Constant Current power ($1745/1m), Hurricane High Current power ($2095/1m). Also assisting was an AudioQuest Niagara 7000 power conditioner ($12,500).
Whether playing vinyl from vocalist Rebecca Pidgeon singing "Spanish Harlem" or streaming Madonna’s "Vogue," Sherrick’s system played with a sense of calm assurance. The Pidgeon sounded earthy, dense, natural, and affecting. This system oozed smooth and serene, like scotch and chocolate on a cold winter day.
