Max Countryman
Current system

Stereo

My current stereo system, built around natural sound and a three-dimensional presentation.

Signal path

One digital flow becomes two separate analog channels.

  1. SourcesMy library · Tidal · Qobuz
  2. Library & controlRoon
  3. ProcessingHQPlayer Embedded
  4. USBConversion · dual mono · NOSHolo Audio May KTE

Left

  1. BalancedPreamplifier · gain chassisPass Labs XP-32
  2. BalancedPower · monoblockPass Labs XA60.8
  3. LoudspeakerTAD ME1
    SubwooferREL S/550

Right

  1. BalancedPreamplifier · gain chassisPass Labs XP-32
  2. BalancedPower · monoblockPass Labs XA60.8
  3. LoudspeakerTAD ME1
    SubwooferREL S/550

What I’m listening for

I’m after natural sound with a three-dimensional presentation: believable instrumental character, depth behind the speakers, physical body, and clear spatial layering. Just as important, I want to be able to listen for hours without the sound becoming tiring.

These aren’t the only qualities that matter, but they are the system’s center of gravity.

How it’s put together

Roon brings together my own library with Tidal and Qobuz and controls playback through HQPlayer Embedded. HQPlayer handles digital filtering and upsampling, sending PCM over USB to the Holo Audio May KTE, which operates in NOS mode and can receive rates up to 1.536 MHz.

From the May, the analog signal passes through a Pass Labs XP-32 preamplifier and a pair of XA60.8 monoblocks, then to the TAD ME1 speakers and two REL S/550 subwoofers.

Why these components

The May appealed to me as a discrete R-2R DAC with exceptional measured linearity and resolution, alongside its reputation for a natural, organic presentation. I run it in NOS mode so HQPlayer owns the digital filtering and upsampling, sending PCM to the May over USB.

I chose the TAD ME1s for the dimensionality they are known for. Their coincident CST driver is designed around point-source behavior and stable localization, qualities that line up closely with what I value. The XA60.8s came up repeatedly as a strong match for the ME1s.

The RELs are part of the spatial presentation I’m after, not just its bass extension. With them integrated, I’ve noticed voices seem to hang in the air. I’m more confident in that impression than in any explanation for it.

Two channels, kept separate

From digital conversion onward, the system is almost entirely dual mono. The two channels remain separate through the May, the individual XP-32 gain chassis, the XA60.8 monoblocks, and into one loudspeaker and subwoofer per side. The analog electronics are connected using balanced interconnects.

Dual mono and balanced operation are different things, but I find the consistency of that architecture interesting in its own right.

Current HQPlayer settings

A dated snapshot of the PCM configuration, not a prescription.

Output
PCM
1× filter
poly-sinc-gauss-long
Nx filter
poly-sinc-gauss-hires-lp
Dither
LNS15
Sample rate
Auto
Rate limit
1,536,000 Hz