“Three years ago, I started the search for a truly high-end audio system and a listening room dedicated for that. To me, such a listening room had to not only be musical but inviting and relaxing, sight and sound blending together to make the perfect environment to spend a lot of time in. I wanted a warm musical system, with grand sound stage and presence, a detailed yet true fit for the type of music I listen to most often, namely Classical and Jazz.

Being an electrical engineer by profession also meant I paid a lot of attention to the design details of all the equipment I auditioned and considered. For warm sound, I knew I wanted some element of tubes. For punchy and detailed sound I knew it also had to have the resolution and precision of solid state with absolutely no distortion. I found all of this in T+A Amplifiers & Preamplifier paired with Sonus Faber Lilium speakers. Here, T+A’s top of the line HV (high voltage) components provided the absolute power, high current, and unbelievable reference class resolution and noise floor that is hard to beat. The Liliums were as warm to listen to as they are to look at, and in addition to that can be Tri-Amped. So, the amplification comprised of one stereo amplifier for super-low-base, and two mono-block amplifiers (which are hybrid tube and solid state stages) configured in high current class A bi-amp mode to drive the highs, mids and high-base. Add to that T+A reference streaming DAC, reference SACD transport, and Acoustic Signature turntable with DSAudio Master3 Optical preamp and cartridge.

To connect all of the above 10 components I selected Nordost Valhalla V2 Reference Cables thanks to the advice and support from the wonderful people at Pearl Audio Video in Portland, who’ve been with me since day one in this search. I was impressed with the auditions I had with a few Nordost cables and from reading through the specs and construction. This setup includes three sets of speaker cables, power cables, several XLR interconnects with a couple of special splitter XLR to accommodate having only one preamp ‘out’ to feed three amplifiers. Thanks to Nordost for working with us to accommodate this custom request. The Valhalla V2 cables do a perfect job conveying what this system is truly capable of, with no effort or interference. I believe it was the best decision I made and a perfect match to this high-end system.

It all came together superbly, thanks to all the engineering work that went into this, from electronics to cables to speakers. I am enjoying the music and the time spent in this sanctuary room I call ‘Sala Stradivari’, where every moment is bliss among the true sounds of instruments such as violins cellos pianos saxophones and vocals. It is like being planted in the middle of a concert hall or jazz club the moment you hit Play.”