Stereo Installation GOLD Award

Along-time client of Len Wallis Audio, an avid music and technology lover with experience of Focal’s loudspeakers, asked LWA to build and install a system around this French company’s flagship Grande Utopia speakers. When the recent EM Evo series was announced, Len Wallis Audio sourced the only pair of Grande Utopias available in Australia at that time, presented in striking metallic blue, and paired them with a entirely modern two-channel system. A customised Roon ‘Rock’ music player was built to handle the supply and storage of lossless music, with the Roon software handling the music management, adding TIDAL streaming and control from any smart device in the home.

Then the power: four mighty Meridian Reference 857 two-channel power amplifiers, each offering around 1500W when bridged, and here also in a bi-amped configuration. A Meridian 818v3 Reference Audio Core was selected as the processor, DAC and Roon end-point — this will also allow a statement turntable to be added in the future. And all this, impeccably installed on Australian SGR Signature V racks, with German InAkustik ‘AIR’ interconnects complemented by Isotek power cabling and filtration.

Such a system, running from Roon, spectacular in every way: it’s another LWA Gold win. More info: lenwallisaudio.com