The Sound Lab · Systems & listening

Three working systems.One future obsession.

The music
comes first.

Inside the systems

Reference stereo · Current system

Current system

The reference stereo.

Records, discs and streaming. Separate control and power stages. The system behind the reference listening.

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Move across the equipment to reveal it. Use + to look closer.

Look closer

Every part has a role.

The components make more sense together. Explore their roles, then follow the channel’s listening experiences for the context behind the choices.

Wilson Audio

Yvette

A sculpted three-way design combines physical bass weight with precise placement, instrumental texture and a deeply layered stereo image.

Yvette combines a ten-inch woofer, dedicated midrange and Convergent Synergy tweeter in a single composite enclosure. Bass carries weight and texture; voices and instruments occupy a convincingly dimensional space. Its revealing presentation rewards the reference chain’s control and the room’s careful setup, allowing scale and fine ambient detail to coexist.

The system, as a whole

Scale, space and the ease to stay.

Layered depth
Textured bass
Natural presence
Listening ease

“It stays musical, pleasing, airy and doesn't get fatiguing”
The Sound Lab · Reference-system listening notes

The reference stereo brings together physical scale and an unusually inviting sense of space. The C12000 and MC611 monoblocks give the Yvettes a composed, authoritative foundation: bass has substance, instruments hold their position and the image extends beyond a flat line between the speakers. Detail remains connected to tone and phrasing. The attraction is the ease with which a familiar performance becomes absorbing again, from a quiet vocal inflection to a full crescendo.

The room is inseparable from that character. Moving the same principal components into the new listening space brought greater height, more convincing scale and clearer ambience. The helicopter passage on The Wall became a dimensional event; Take Five gained instrumental presence; The Trinity Session revealed more of the church around the performance. Streaming and discs through the MCD12000, or records through the MT5 and Starling, offer different ways into that experience. Across them, the reference remains musical involvement sustained over a whole evening.

A connection between systems

One voice.Two worlds.

The same Wilson Audio Yvette pair anchors music and cinema: tonal substance, precise imaging and dynamic authority carry from an intimate recording to the full physical scale of a film.

A connection between systems

One pair. The same reference.

The reference stereo

Every instrument. One performance.

An orchestra asks a loudspeaker to do several things at once: give each instrument its own colour, keep its position clear and preserve the whole as the music gathers force. Yvette’s dedicated bass, midrange and tweeter work within a carefully aligned three-way design, bringing weight and clarity into the same picture. With the C12000 and MC611s, that picture gains the depth, texture and unhurried ease that define the reference system. A quiet phrase remains as compelling as the crescendo.

Tonal substance
Precise placement
Fine expression

Wilson Audio YvetteLeft + right · Reference stereo

What connects them

The same standard of realism.

These two experiences draw on the same acoustic strengths: controlled bass, coherent integration and precise spatial focus. Yvette’s rigid composite enclosure limits unwanted resonance, helping detail and impact coexist. The scale changes with the material; the foundation of tone, presence and realism stays familiar.

Look closer at Yvette

The reason for all of it

Different formats.
The same love of music.

A system earns its place through the music it brings into the room. The ritual of a record, the permanence of a disc, the reach of streaming and a carefully kept digital collection each invite a different kind of listening. None needs to replace the others.

THE SOUND LAB

Long play. Long listening.

A curiosity can become a collection.

Wave depth

A groove. A stylus. A reason to stay.

The analogue chain begins before the stylus reaches the groove. The pressing, its condition and the cartridge setup all have a part to play. Here, the MT5 carries the moving-coil Sumiko Starling into the C12000’s phono stage; the Degritter MkII handles record cleaning.

The modern-pressings investigation makes the distinction clear: cleaning cannot repair a defect pressed into the groove. A premium sleeve is no guarantee of a premium pressing. Choose the edition carefully, look after it, and let the album unfold one side at a time.

MT5 · Starling · Degritter MkII

An album you can hold on to.

CD and SACD remain working parts of the collection. The MCD12000 does two jobs: playing those discs and converting digital sources. A familiar album provides a useful reference across both roles, bringing the recording and the playback chain into focus.

In the channel’s DAC journey, the move to the MCD12000 and a separate Rose transport was about stage, naturalness and presence. The lesson was broader than a chipset: power supplies, conversion and the analogue output stage form a complete design. The disc is the beginning of that journey, not the whole explanation.

CD · SACD · MCD12000

Let one discovery lead to another.

Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music all have a place in the listening. Their catalogues, recommendations and familiar favourites provide different routes into a recording. Following a musician through an unfamiliar album can be as valuable as returning to a long-established reference track.

In the reference digital chain, the HiFi Rose RS130 provides network transport and the MCD12000 handles conversion. Keeping those roles distinct makes it easier to understand what is being compared. The service, the available edition and the playback path deserve attention before a conclusion about sound quality.

Discovery · Albums · Familiar favourites

A collection beyond the physical shelf.

The purchased DSD collection sits alongside the discs and records. Downloads make a chosen recording part of the library, beyond a streaming catalogue. The edition and its provenance remain worth knowing; the file’s label is only the starting point.

The DAC comparisons put system matching ahead of isolated specifications. A revealing digital front end still depends on the amplification, speakers and room to show what it can do. DSD belongs in that broader listening context: a way to keep and revisit recordings, not a shortcut around the rest of the system.

DSD · A curated digital collection

The analogue listening notes

At the beginning
of the groove.

The Starling is the current reference cartridge. The channel’s cartridge film follows the comparisons behind that choice: different generators, different presentations, and the importance of the complete analogue chain.

Watch the cartridge experience

Amethyst · Blue Point No. 2
Songbird · Starling
AT-VM95SH
Performer V2
Hyperion MkII

A room to live in. A place to listen.

The room is part of it.

The same system.
A different relationship with the room.

The space

A living room first.

The rectangular room gives the system space to breathe. Coordinated wood, fabrics and discreet lighting make long listening sessions feel part of everyday life, with comfort and musical focus considered together.

·Wood, fabric & light
A room that feels like home
·The reference stereo
The same principal signal chain

The acoustic layers

Control, without losing life.

Behind the natural-wood panels sits a light layer of absorption. Corner bass traps, ceiling panels and thick curtains bring reflections and low-frequency energy under control, while preserving the room’s sense of life.

·Wood-faced absorption
A considered balance at the front wall
·Ceiling & corners
Control above and around the system
·Layered curtains
Soft surfaces across the openings

The listening geometry

Space to find the image.

Wilson’s setup procedure identified a zone of neutrality. Small changes to speaker position then brought image depth, instrumental scale and room aesthetics into balance, with the rectangular layout finally allowing real choices.

·Boundary distance
Room around the Yvettes
·Pair & listening axis
Position, listen, refine
·Amplifiers close by
The MC611 pair inside the speakers

The electrical foundation

Three feeds. Clear separation.

Each MC611 has its own dedicated 40 A circuit from the main board. The preamplifier and sources share a separate IsoTek-conditioned supply, with new cabling, outlets and switches completing the electrical foundation.

L40 A · left MC611
Independent amplifier circuit
R40 A · right MC611
Independent amplifier circuit
SSources & control
Separate circuit · IsoTek conditioning

Inside the listening room

Hear the context

The experiences behind the equipment.

The YouTube library

The listening room

The equipment, at a glance.

Reference stereo

Category	Equipment	At a glance
Amplification	McIntosh MC611	2 monoblocks · 600 W each into 2/4/8 Ω
Control	McIntosh C12000	Two chassis · tube and solid-state outputs
Sources	McIntosh MCD12000	SACD/CD · tube and solid-state outputs
	HiFi Rose RS130	Network transport · OCXO clock
	McIntosh MT5	Belt drive · 33⅓, 45 and 78 rpm
Analogue	Sumiko Starling	Moving coil · 0.5 mV output
Loudspeakers	Wilson Audio Yvette	Three-way floorstander · 10″ woofer
Connections	Transparent System cabling	XLR · RCA/phono · speaker · AES/EBU
Record care	Degritter MkII	Ultrasonic cleaning · 120 kHz
Power	IsoTek V5 Aquarius	6 outlets · 2 high-current, 4 source
Power	IsoTek V5 Corvus	9 independently isolated outlets

Home theatre

Category	Equipment	At a glance
AV receiver	Denon AVR-X4800H	9 amplified channels · 11.4 processing
Front left / right	Wilson Audio Yvette	Three-way floorstander · 10″ woofer
Centre	Bowers & Wilkins HTM71 S3	Three-way · Continuum midrange
Surround	Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3	Two-way · Carbon Dome tweeter
Sources	Zidoo Z3000 PRO	Media player · Dolby Vision / HDR10+
Sources	Apple TV	4K Dolby Vision · Dolby Atmos
Connections	AudioQuest Home-theatre cabling	Home-theatre audio/video cabling

Test bench

Category	Equipment	At a glance
Amplifiers	WiiM Vibelink Amp	Class D · 100 W/ch into 8 Ω
Amplifiers	ATOLL SDA300 Signature	Streaming integrated · 150 W/ch into 8 Ω
Sources	WiiM Ultra	Streaming preamp · ES9038Q2M DAC
	Eversolo DMP-A6 Master Edition	1st gen · dual ES9038Q2M DACs
	Eversolo DMP-A8	AK4499EX DAC · resistor-ladder volume
	HiFi Rose RS150B	ES9038PRO DAC · 14.9″ touchscreen
Loudspeakers	Klipsch RP-600M	1st gen · two-way, 6.5″ woofer
Loudspeakers	KEF R500	Three-way floorstander · Uni-Q array

Future wishlist

Category	Equipment	At a glance
Amplification	Dan D’Agostino Momentum Z	2 monoblocks · 500 W each into 8 Ω
Control	Dan D’Agostino Momentum C2Z	Two chassis · FET output stage
Loudspeakers	Wilson Audio Alexia V	Modular three-way · QuadraMag midrange
Digital	MSB Cascade DAC	Three chassis · separate digital/analogue stages
Analogue	Clearaudio Statement V2	Belt drive · magnetically coupled platter
Analogue	Soundsmith Hyperion MkII	Cactus-spine cantilever · 0.4 mV output
Connections	Transparent Reference series	Custom-calibrated cable networks
Power	Stromtank S5000	LiFePO₄ battery · sine-wave AC output

Bring your own context

Your music.
Your room.
Your experience.

A reference system gives a listening experience context. Your own system, room and priorities deserve the same attention.

Ask TSL Join the conversation

Follow your curiosity.

What are you curious about?

Your listening life.

The music
comes first.

The reference stereo.