Tier H · Romantic (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Costs appear only as signed percentages against each tier’s (unpublished) baseline; absolute prices are not shown.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 | AVID Volvere SP (no arm) |
| Phono stage | Rega Fono MM Mk5 |
| Preamplifier | NVA P50 MKII |
| Power amplifier | NVA S80 Stereo |
| Loudspeakers | Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 |
| Chain cost vs tier baseline | +1.3% |
68.9
node quality
3.20
edge synergy (raw 3.20, 6 edges)
0.00
drive delta (sut-stepup)
power
architecture
Feasible; no blockers.
Architecture competition
| Architecture | Quality | Synergy | Cost vs baseline | Feasible | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| integrated | 69.9 | 2.11 | +1.5% | yes | |
| power | 68.9 | 3.20 | +1.3% | yes | ✓ |
| mono | 69.3 | 2.48 | +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Costs appear only as signed percentages against each tier’s (unpublished) baseline; absolute prices are not shown.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 |
| Monoblocks | Longdog Audio P6100M Biamp 2x2 (4 units) |
| Preamplifier | Music First Audio Baby Reference V2 |
| Phono stage | EAR Yoshino PhonoBox MM/MC |
| Cartridge | van den Hul The Frog |
| Tonearm | Roksan Attessa Unipivot tonearm |
| Turntable | Pro-Ject Debut Pro (with cart) |
| Chain cost vs tier baseline | +0.9% |
71.4
node quality
6.84
edge synergy (raw 6.84, 6 edges)
0.00
drive delta (drive 1.73x)
mono
architecture
Feasible; no blockers.
Architecture competition
| Architecture | Quality | Synergy | Cost vs baseline | Feasible | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| integrated | 70.7 | 5.04 | −12.2% | yes | |
| power | 70.2 | 5.45 | +0.2% | yes | |
| mono | 71.4 | 6.84 | +0.9% | yes | ✓ |