37: Interview with an Audiophile, with Matt Rockwell

Apr 3, 2019

Today, 30 year audiophile (and one of the two guys that got me into the hobby) Matt Rockwell and I sit down for a chat in his house in Boulder.  When I met Matt, he had a $300k+ system.  Now, a few years later, he's "pared it down" to a simple $36k system.  I know that sounds like a lot, but this was a fascinating conversation about audio, art, gear, and the true essence of the hobby.  

Note...Matt speaks quite softly, so I've done my best with the audio.  

Here's Matt's current system:

Speakers: Green Mountian Audio http://greenmountainaudio.com/eos-hd/

Subwoofer: Rel https://rel.net/shop/powered-subwoofers/serie-ti/t9i/

Integrated Amp: Jeff Rowland https://www.jeffrowlandgroup.com/continuum-s2/

 

DAC: http: Aesthetix Pandora with Signature Upgrade //aesthetix.net/digital.php

 

Digital Source: Custom Ubuntu 18.04 Linux, Real-Time Kernel.  Running Roon/Tidal and JRiver Media Player  

 

Headphones: Speaker Man - Ether : https://www.mrspeakers.com/headphones-22/ether.html

 

Headphone Amp: Amp Sound : https://ampsandsound.com/products/kenzie-headphone-amp

 

Speaker Cables: Analysis Plus Oval 9 https://www.analysis-plus.com/product/home-audio/speaker-cables/black-mesh-oval-9/

 

Digital Interface: Off-Ramp-4 https://www.stereophile.com/content/empirical-audio-ramp-4-usb-format-converter

 

Power Conditioning: Running Springs Jaco : http://www.tonepublications.com/review/running-springs-audio-jaco-power-conditioner/

 

Power Cables: Shunyata Venom : https://shunyata.com/products/power-cables/venom-hc/

 

Interconnects (RCA and XLR: Audo Magic Liquid-Air : https://www.audio-magic.com/files/128166265.pdf

 

Today's Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by SVS.  SVS makes some of the best bang for the buck in high-end audio.  Check them out at http://svsound.com