Tier H · Anchored (listening philosophy, open architecture)
Costs appear only as signed percentages against each tier’s (unpublished) baseline; absolute prices are not shown.
Forward (source-first)
| Slot | Component |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC |
| Step-up transformer | Audio Note AN-S3 |
| Tonearm | Audio Origami PU8 Reference 9" |
| Turntable | Michell Revolv (NEW Oct 2025) |
| Phono stage | EAR Yoshino PhonoBox MM/MC |
| Preamplifier | NVA P50 MKII |
| Monoblocks | Graham Slee Proprius |
| Loudspeakers | Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 |
| Chain cost vs tier baseline | +0.4% |
68.4
node quality
3.70
edge synergy (raw 3.70, 6 edges)
0.00
drive delta (sut-stepup)
mono
architecture
Feasible; no blockers.
Architecture competition
| Architecture | Quality | Synergy | Cost vs baseline | Feasible | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| integrated | 68.6 | 2.10 | +1.3% | yes | |
| power | 67.8 | 3.62 | +1.3% | yes | |
| mono | 68.4 | 3.70 | +0.4% | yes | ✓ |
Costs appear only as signed percentages against each tier’s (unpublished) baseline; absolute prices are not shown.
Aft (speaker-first)
| Slot | Component |
|---|---|
| Loudspeakers | Wilmslow Audio Emmae Reginae |
| Integrated amplifier | Sugden ANV 50 |
| Phono stage | Naim StageLine S (MC) |
| Cartridge | van den Hul The Frog |
| Tonearm | Supatrac Blackbird Farpoint 9" |
| Turntable | Michell Revolv (NEW Oct 2025) |
| Chain cost vs tier baseline | −0.6% |
71.2
node quality
5.76
edge synergy (raw 5.76, 5 edges)
0.00
drive delta (n/a-integrated)
integrated
architecture
Feasible; no blockers.
Architecture competition
| Architecture | Quality | Synergy | Cost vs baseline | Feasible | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| integrated | 71.2 | 5.76 | −0.6% | yes | ✓ |
| power | 69.9 | 5.94 | +0.2% | yes | |
| mono | 69.7 | 6.19 | +1.1% | yes |