Unique floorstander with Transmission line bass and acoustically decoupled mid/high speakers in an inert concrete swivel.
Parasound Halo JC2-BP preamp
Stereophile class A balanced preamp with Hometheater bypass
OPPO BDP-105
Universal player and media streamer, ethernet-fed from NAS, balanced out to preamp for stereo. HDMI out to Home theater receiver for video and surround
Pioneer VSX-2024
Home theater receiver with 4K capabilities
Synology DS1513+ NAS
6*5 = 30 Terabyte in 22TB Hybrid RAID
Bel Canto Design REF-1000
1000w mono blocks @ 4Ohm. Balanced input from Parasound preamp.
The speakers (Floating Systems, model: Synthese 1) are a little-known design from a small high-end builder based in Belgium. Semi-retired now, these speakers (plus 2 smaller models called Synthese 2 and 3) have been in production without major changes for 25 years or so. The central pods with the mid/high speakers swivel, giving you control over the soundstage. The speakers come with 4 crossover adjustments inh the form of 'acoustic cards' which can be plugged in at the base and which shape the crossover response to the room (from very soft furnishings to very hard, reflective furnishings).
Commercial success was never a key driver for the manufacturer and he never sought publicity. His sales occurred through a small network of local dealers in Belgium and Netherlands and a lot of word of mouth. I found this pair in the Netherlands and jumped on it.
