To these ears, the pairing of Vandersteen Quatro loudspeakers ($15,499/pair) and the company’s smaller M5-HPA monoblocks ($15,800/pair) with the Jeff Rowland Corus Stereo preamplifier + PSU ($21,900) and Conductor phonostage ($8500) is a winner. Images were on the small side, but the tonalities on an LP of Gerry Mulligan playing “Making Whoopee” were to whoop over. A 96K MQA file of Muddy Waters’ “Never Go Back Again” revealed just how much depth this lovely-sounding system could produce (even if MQA-haters are praying we go back, back, back to the pre-MQA era).
Also heard to best advantage: Brinkmann Nyquist Mark 2 DAC ($17,995) and Bardo turntable with 10.0 tonearm ($11,995) & Lyra Delos cartridge ($1995), Roon Nucleus with 4TB SSD drive ($3500), AudioQuest Niagara 7000 and cabling, and an HRS SXR Stand.
Also heard to best advantage: Brinkmann Nyquist Mark 2 DAC ($17,995) and Bardo turntable with 10.0 tonearm ($11,995) & Lyra Delos cartridge ($1995), Roon Nucleus with 4TB SSD drive ($3500), AudioQuest Niagara 7000 and cabling, and an HRS SXR Stand.
