How To Blow $300,000 On Your Stereo

You claim to enjoy music, yet listen to it solely on your laptop or iPod. Forget that noise. There’s a reason why vinyl sales are rocketing even while the record industry flounders—the format is the only worthwhile way to own your favourite music. The cold, compressed sound of MP3s can’t touch the warm, analog crackle of long players. Let Gunnar Van Vliet, owner of Toronto’s Planet of Sound, help you build the ultimate vinyl front-end.

1. Source

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Don’t even joke about using an iPod for this one. What you need is a high-end record player. One with solid construction, top-to-bottom linearity and fluid, unforced tempi. The Kuzma Stabi M Turntable is an excellent choice. Equipped with a four-point tonearm, it plays music with the clarity, separation and stability of a master tape.
$28,500

2. Phono Cartridge

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Many audiophiles say the cartridge—the small component that holds the stylus—has a greater effect on record playback than the turntable itself. Most vinyl aficionados prefer moving coil cartridges as opposed to moving magnet ones—the difference in sensitivity, low noise and accurate playback is staggering. Jan Allaerts’ MC2 Finish Gold Cartridge is the best one out there. It’s handmade by Mr. Allaerts himself, resulting in otherworldly power, resonance and oceanic depth.
$7,500

3. Phono Preamp

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Don’t underestimate the importance of a good preamp. Your turntable requires one to bring its sound up to a level typical stereo equipment can play. Also, due to the way records are made, a preamp will apply an ‘RIAA Equalization Curve’ that puts more emphasis on bass than treble. Go with a Whest MC Ref V MK4 Phono Preamp. It offers lower noise levels and sound production that’s so much richer than with any other preamp on the market.
$21,000

4. Power Amp

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Your hi-fi sound could soar or flail depending on the sort of amp you hang off it. Find one that will be able to handle lots of detail and nuance from the analog signal. The Audio Research Reference 750 Power Amplifier will gel flawlessly with your setup. Its 750 watts of tube-driven power elevate your sound to a three-dimensional realm. Hear the breath of the singer, the pick against the string and the conductor’s baton slicing the air.
$30,000

5. Speakers

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This component is the mouthpiece of your vinyl setup—it’s your sound wave’s final destination after being processed through the amp. Get something with excellent clarity and range, like the Sonus Faber Olympica III. While most high-end speakers try to knock you over, these focus more on achieving perfect tonal balance—the bass is only slightly emphasized, the instruments aren’t buried in the background, the timbre is slightly warm. Everything is in the right place.
$16,800

6. Loudspeaker

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Using horn-loaded loudspeakers (which channels sound in a particular direction) results in music that’s loud, but without strain, distortion or any other imperfections, at least, according to the maker of these massive beauties. Standing over 2 metres tall, stocked with a rear-loaded subwoofer horn using a 21-inch neodymium woofer capable of 20 hz to 100 hz, and vertical horns covering 100 hz to 20 kHz, the Oswalds Mill Audio Imperia system is a four-way horn system unlike any other in the world.

$180,000