Reference two-channel
Music Mode
Source→Cary SLP-03→Starke AD4.320→ET30→Speakers
Volume controlled by Cary.
Back to The Listening Room
Listening Room / Permanent system reference
Billville – Reference Listening & Media System v2.0
Reference two-channel music playback, immersive home theater, gaming, source routing, and system continuity.
Stable. Documented. Dual-mode optimized. No urgent upgrade pressure.
Foundation
System Philosophy
Section 01
Billville is a dual-mode media system built around reference two-channel music playback and immersive multichannel home theater & gaming. Shared infrastructure is used where beneficial, without compromising musical integrity.
Rear-panel photographs and signal maps are maintained for troubleshooting and continuity.
Routing map
Core Signal Architecture
Section 02
Home theater / Gaming
Home Theater Mode
Source→Marantz SR7013→Cary Cinema Bypass→Starke AD4.320→ET30→Speakers
Volume controlled by Marantz.
Front stage L/R + Center powered by Starke in HT mode.
Control and power
Amplification & Control
Section 03
AV receiver / Theater control
Marantz SR7013
- Primary home-theater and gaming control center
- 11.2-channel processing with nine channels of amplification
- Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Auro-3D, and IMAX Enhanced
- Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room correction
- Front L/R pre-outs feed the Cary Cinema Bypass and Starke amplifier
- Controls system volume in Home Theater Mode
Tube preamplifier
Cary SLP-03
- Primary music control center
- Cinema bypass integrates HT without sonic compromise
Front-stage amplifier
Starke Sound AD4.320
- Primary front-stage amplifier
- CH1/2: L/R music + HT
- CH3: Center HT
- CH4: Available / reserve
Heritage receiver
Sansui G-8000
- Fully restored late 2025
- Alternate heritage amplification path
- Circa 1979
- 120 watts per channel into 8 ohms
- Large toroidal power transformer with four filter capacitors per channel
- Bass, midrange, and treble tone controls
- Dual phono and dual tape inputs, plus AUX, monitor, and microphone
- 22.04 W × 7.91 H × 18.70 D inches
Amplifier / Speaker routing
ET30 Selector
- Routes amp outputs to selectable speaker pairs
- Supports Starke / Sansui A/B
- Analog VU meters for visual monitoring
Playback and gaming
Digital & Video Sources
Section 04
Digital conversion
Cary DAC-200ts
- Gold Lion tubes
- Switchable tube / solid-state output
Primary streaming
Eversolo DMP-A6 Gen 1
- Primary music streamer and library controller
- Dual ESS ES9038Q2M DACs with XMOS XU316 audio processing
- Decodes stereo DSD512 and PCM up to 768kHz / 32-bit
- 6-inch LCD touchscreen with app control
- Roon Ready, Tidal Connect, WebDAV, UPnP, and DLNA
- M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 2280 storage support up to 4TB
- Balanced XLR and RCA analog outputs; USB, HDMI audio, coaxial, and optical digital outputs
Universal disc player
Cambridge Audio Azur 751BD
- Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D playback
- CD, HDCD, SACD, DVD-Video, and DVD-Audio support
- Twin HDMI 1.4 outputs with Marvell QDEO video processing
- Five Wolfson WM8740 24-bit / 192kHz DACs
- Q5 upsampling and jitter suppression to 24-bit / 192kHz
- Dedicated stereo and 7.1-channel analog outputs
Local NAS media
Zidoo Z30 Pro 8K
- Primary local NAS movie and concert playback
- Amlogic S928X-K processor with 6GB DDR4 and 64GB eMMC
- HDMI 2.1a output up to 8K / 60p with 12-bit colour and BT.2020
- HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision
- Dolby TrueHD Atmos decoding and Atmos passthrough
- 8K / 60p AV1, VP9, H.265, AVS3, and AVS2 decoding
- Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and SATA 3.0
- MKV and ISO library playback
Daily streaming
Apple TV 4K 3rd Gen
- Daily streaming platform
Gaming / UHD
PlayStation 5 Slim Disc Edition
- Primary gaming + UHD Blu-ray
Virtual reality
PlayStation VR2
- Immersive VR gaming
Simulation control
Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel
- Direct-drive simulation control
Live television
Rogers Cable Box
- Live TV / NHL broadcasts
Vinyl front end
Analog Sources
Section 05
Quartz direct drive
Technics SL-1210M5G
- Audio-Technica AT-VM540ML/H cartridge and headshell
- Manual quartz-locked direct-drive turntable
- 33-1/3 and 45 rpm
- Switchable pitch ranges: ±8% and ±16%
- 1.5 kg-cm starting torque; reaches 33-1/3 rpm in 0.7 seconds
- 0.025% WRMS wow and flutter; -78 dB weighted rumble
- 230 mm universal gimbal tonearm with 0–6 mm height adjustment
- Electronic braking
Restored vintage reference deck
Denon DP-755
- Denon DP-755 direct-drive turntable
- Restored vintage Denon deck with custom lid
- Infinity Black Widow low-mass carbon-fiber tonearm
- Tonearm effective length: 237 mm
- Tonearm overhang: 15 mm
- Tonearm offset angle: 21°
- Tonearm effective mass: approx. 3 g
- Ortofon OM30 cartridge
- Nude Fine Line stylus
- Recommended tracking force: 1.5 g
- Tracking force range: 1.25–1.75 g
- Dynamic compliance: 25 µm/mN
- Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
- Output: approx. 3.5–4 mV depending on OM body/version
- Viborg LC800 tonearm cable
- 5-pin DIN to dual RCA phono cable
- 5N OFC silver-plated conductors
- Rhodium-plated RCA plugs
- Length: 3.3 ft / 1 m
- High-resolution vintage reference table
- Restored, upgraded, active, optimized for refinement and detail
- Reference value: approx. $1,500–$2,000 CAD complete-system value, condition dependent
Servo-controlled MC reference deck
JVC QL-Y5F
- JVC QL-Y5F quartz-locked fully automatic direct-drive turntable
- Circa 1980
- Coreless DC FG servo motor
- 33-1/3 and 45 rpm
- 0.025% WRMS wow and flutter
- Greater than 78 dB signal-to-noise ratio
- Electro-dynamic servo tonearm with electronic resonance damping
- 245 mm effective tonearm length
- 15 mm overhang
- 310 mm platter
- Denon DL-103 moving-coil cartridge
- DL-103 output voltage: approx. 0.3 mV
- DL-103 recommended tracking force: 2.5 g
- DL-103 frequency response: 20 Hz – 45 kHz
- DL-103 impedance: approx. 40 ohms
- Classic broadcast-derived MC cartridge pairing
- Active serious vintage vinyl front end
- Reference value: approx. $950–$1,250 CAD complete setup value, condition and cartridge hours dependent
Phono DSP preamplifier
Parks Audio Waxwing
- App-controlled phono gain, loading, equalization, and processing
- Gain range from -4 dB line level to 72 dB for low-output moving-coil cartridges
- MAGIC processing reduces record clicks and surface noise
- RIAA phono EQ, alternate vintage curves, and customizable EQ
- Super Mono, channel balance, warmth, air, and rumble filtering
- Analog RCA output or coaxial / optical digital output at 24/48 or 24/96
- Bluetooth LE control from iOS or Android
Primary presentation
Speakers – Front Stage
Section 06
Music reference
Q Acoustics Concept 50
- Primary reference music speakers
Dynamic L/R
Klipsch RP-8000F
- Primary HT L/R
- Alternate dynamic music voicing
Center channel
Klipsch RP-450C
- Center channel
- Powered by Starke
Low-octave support
Paradigm PW-2200 Subwoofer
- Low-octave reinforcement only
Immersive field
Surround & Height
Section 07
Side channels
Klipsch RP-600F
- Side channels
Atmos
Klipsch RP-500SA II
- Atmos
Ceiling fill
Mirage Nanosat x2
- Ambient height fill
Picture hierarchy
Display Hierarchy
Section 08
Everyday display
Samsung 55 inch TV
- Primary everyday display
Cinema display
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 5030UB
- Dedicated cinema sessions
- 2D / 3D Full HD 1080p
- 3LCD, 3-chip optical engine
- 2400 colour / white lumens
- THX certified / Ultra Black
- Model V11H585020
Physical context
Room Context
Section 09
Room sizeApprox. 15’ × 20’
Listening levelModerate listening levels
Bass approachBass integrated for coherence over impact
Current state
System Status
Section 10
Stable.
Documented.
Dual-mode optimized.
No urgent upgrade pressure.
Documented.
Dual-mode optimized.
No urgent upgrade pressure.
Troubleshooting record
Continuity Notes
Section 11
Photo record
Rear Panel Photos
Connections, cable labels, switch positions, and a known-good physical reference.
Architecture
Signal Maps
Detailed source-to-output diagrams for music, theater, gaming, and alternate paths.
Selector state
Speaker Routing
ET30 positions, amplifier choices, speaker pairs, and safe switching sequence.
Receiver map
Input Assignments
Marantz, Cary, DAC, television, and source input names with matching cables.
Daily control
Remote / Automation Notes
Remote roles, HDMI control, startup order, scenes, and reliable automation behaviour.
Known behaviour
Known Quirks
Handshake issues, source-specific habits, selector cautions, and fixes that already worked.
Change control
Future Changes
Document only approved changes here after they move beyond the Drawing Board.
System history
Change Log
Section 12
| Date | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-06 | Denon DP-755 expanded | Restored deck, custom lid, Infinity Black Widow tonearm, Ortofon OM30 cartridge, Viborg LC800 cable, and complete-system reference value added. |
| 2026-06 | JVC QL-Y5F reference value added | Denon DL-103 cartridge specifications and complete setup reference value added. |
| 2026-06 | Waxwing and JVC QL-Y5F expanded | Phono DSP controls and outputs, turntable drive and servo-arm specifications, manuals, and cartridge details added. |
| 2026-06 | Technics SL-1210M5G expanded | Drive, speed, pitch, torque, stability, tonearm, and installed cartridge details added. |
| 2026-06 | Zidoo Z30 Pro expanded | Processing, 8K video, HDR, audio, networking, and storage specifications added. |
| 2026-06 | Eversolo DMP-A6 Gen 1 expanded | DAC, decoding, streaming, storage, control, and output specifications added with manual. |
| 2026-06 | Sansui G-8000 expanded | Period power, construction, controls, inputs, and dimensions added with receiver profile. |
| 2026-06 | Cambridge 751BD expanded | Universal-disc, video-processing, and DAC specifications added with support and review links. |
| 2026-06 | Cary references added | SLP-03 support and manual linked; DAC model corrected to DAC-200ts with official support page. |
| 2026-06 | Speaker and amplifier references linked | Concept 50 product page and Starke AD4.320 Audioholics review added. |
| 2026-06 | Marantz SR7013 documented | Dedicated theater-control card, official product reference, and owner's manual added. |
| 2026-06 | Projector manual linked | Official 5030UB/5030UBe User's Guide added to the display reference. |
| 2026-06 | Projector model confirmed | Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 5030UB documentation and product reference added. |
| 2026-06 | Reference system v2.0 documented | Current dual-mode architecture captured. |