Tier L · Intimate (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Costs appear only as signed percentages against each tier’s (unpublished) baseline; absolute prices are not shown.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 | Ortofon MC Windfeld Ti |
| Step-up transformer | Audio Note AN-S3 |
| Tonearm | Rega RB3000 |
| Turntable | Rega Planar 3 + RB330 |
| Phono stage | EAR Yoshino PhonoBox MM/MC |
| Preamplifier | Audiolab 9000Q |
| Monoblocks | Graham Slee Proprius |
| Loudspeakers | Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 |
| Chain cost vs tier baseline | −1.5% |
67.6
node quality
2.18
edge synergy (raw 2.18, 6 edges)
0.00
drive delta (sut-stepup)
mono
architecture
Feasible; no blockers.
Architecture competition
| Architecture | Quality | Synergy | Cost vs baseline | Feasible | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| integrated | 67.3 | 1.43 | +0.3% | yes | |
| power | 66.7 | 2.02 | 0.0% | yes | |
| mono | 67.6 | 2.18 | −1.5% | yes | ✓ |
Costs appear only as signed percentages against each tier’s (unpublished) baseline; absolute prices are not shown.
Aft (speaker-first)
| Slot | Component |
|---|---|
| Loudspeakers | Falcon LS3/5a Gold Badge |
| Integrated amplifier | Sugden ANV 50 |
| Phono stage | Naim StageLine S (MC) |
| Cartridge | van den Hul The Frog |
| Tonearm | Rega RB880 |
| Turntable | Rega Planar 3 + RB330 |
| Chain cost vs tier baseline | −0.8% |
68.5
node quality
4.07
edge synergy (raw 4.07, 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 | 68.5 | 4.07 | −0.8% | yes | ✓ |
| power | 68.5 | 3.51 | +0.4% | yes | |
| mono | 69.4 | 3.83 | +0.6% | yes |