Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Aurender A20 streamer and DAC. Grimm MU1. HiFi Rose RS520. Evernote DMP-A10. Sony S900ES SACD player. 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max running Roon 2.0. Roon ROCK (Lenovo ThinkCentre).
Preamplifiers: Benchmark HPA4 linestage. Quad 33 (2024).
Power amplifiers: Audia Flight FLS10, T+A R 2500 R integrateds. McIntosh MHA100 (headphone). Quad 303 monoblocks (2024).
Loudspeakers: Focal Utopia Scala Evo. Estelon X Diamond Mk II.
Headphones: Audeze LCD-4, HiFiMan Susvara Unveiled.
Cables: Loudspeaker: AudioQuest Thunderbird Zero. Interconnects: AudioQuest Black Beauty RCA. Digital: AudioQuest Vodka Ethernet. Power: AudioQuest High-Current Tornado and Blizzard.
Accessories: Townshend Seismic Podiums. AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Low-Z power conditioner. Puron plug-in AC enhancers. Nordost QKoil, QSine, and QWave plug-ins.
Listening room: Custom-built 21' × 15' space with 10'-tall walls and a 16' cathedral ceiling; volume roughly 4000 cubic feet. Double-thick drywall over Rockwool and mass-loaded vinyl. Hardwood floor over gravel and concrete. Rubber subflooring. 16' × 12' wool rug on felt pad. Four bass traps, two skyline diffusers, and a dozen absorption panels including four clouds.—Rogier van Bakel
Preamplifiers: Benchmark HPA4 linestage. Quad 33 (2024).
Power amplifiers: Audia Flight FLS10, T+A R 2500 R integrateds. McIntosh MHA100 (headphone). Quad 303 monoblocks (2024).
Loudspeakers: Focal Utopia Scala Evo. Estelon X Diamond Mk II.
Headphones: Audeze LCD-4, HiFiMan Susvara Unveiled.
Cables: Loudspeaker: AudioQuest Thunderbird Zero. Interconnects: AudioQuest Black Beauty RCA. Digital: AudioQuest Vodka Ethernet. Power: AudioQuest High-Current Tornado and Blizzard.
Accessories: Townshend Seismic Podiums. AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Low-Z power conditioner. Puron plug-in AC enhancers. Nordost QKoil, QSine, and QWave plug-ins.
Listening room: Custom-built 21' × 15' space with 10'-tall walls and a 16' cathedral ceiling; volume roughly 4000 cubic feet. Double-thick drywall over Rockwool and mass-loaded vinyl. Hardwood floor over gravel and concrete. Rubber subflooring. 16' × 12' wool rug on felt pad. Four bass traps, two skyline diffusers, and a dozen absorption panels including four clouds.—Rogier van Bakel
