Tier L · Vocals-First (mandate)
Every choice made for the singer — the voice comes first and the rest follows.
One certified system per brief. Costs appear only as signed percentages against each tier’s (unpublished) baseline; absolute prices are not shown.
The certified system
| Slot | Component |
|---|---|
| Turntable | Technics SL-1500CS (with cart) |
| Tonearm | Rega RB330 |
| Cartridge | Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC |
| Phono stage | Cyrus Classic PHONO |
| Integrated amplifier | Icon Audio Stereo 30 SE (KT150) |
| Loudspeakers | Falcon LS3/5a Gold Badge |
| Subwoofer | BK Electronics XXLS400-DF MK3 |
| Whole-system cost vs tier baseline | +1.1% |
Amplification: integrated amplifier — an outcome of the search, not a requirement.
How the money is shaped
How the budget is shaped here — each share is the portion of the whole build this brief aims at that position. A position marked free is left to find its own level.
| Position | Share of build |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | 21.3% |
| Tonearm | 2.5% |
| Turntable | 7.5% |
| Phono stage | 11.3% |
| Loudspeakers | 37.5% |
| Integrated amplifier | 20.0% |
Why there is a subwoofer
A subwoofer is fitted. Below this loudspeaker’s natural reach there is real musical content — organ pedal notes, synth bass, the lowest drum weight — and the coverage arithmetic says a dedicated bass cabinet genuinely extends the system rather than doubling what the loudspeaker already does.