The room
My listening room strikes a beautiful balance between acoustic control and natural warmth, with the rug, upholstered seating, and furnishings helping tame reflections (I do cover the glass table with a blanket for my auditions), without making the space acoustically dead. The careful speaker placement and open layout create a focused listening environment with good imaging and a convincing sense of space.
Amplification
Integrated amplifier
Digital source
Streamer
DAC
Speakers
Loudspeakers
Analogue
Turntable
Cartridge
Phono preamp
Digital media
CD player
Power, cables & isolation
Interconnects
Supra Sword-IXLR Rhodium Audio
I2S cable
Equipment rack
What I’m chasing
I’m chasing a natural, engaging and highly involving presentation, strong dynamics and fast, clean transients, with a convincing soundstage and precise imaging. I want the system to sound lively and effortless without becoming bright or clinical, with enough warmth and tonal richness to make voices and acoustic instruments feel realistic. Ultimately, I want to forget about the equipment and feel like I’m in the performance.
Room spider
Warm / fullCompressedDiffuseSoft / roundCold / clinicalDynamicSharply focusedFast / tightTonal characterDynamicsImaging focusAttackScale per axis012345
0 = center (inner pole) · 5 = outer edge (outer pole) — applies to all four axes.
- Tonal character — 3.0
- Dynamics — 4.5
- Imaging focus — 3.5
- Attack — 4.5
Senior Editor John Bugailiskis
John Bugailiskis has been passionate about high-fidelity audio for more than 40 years. His journey began while attending university, when he purchased his first serious stereo system: a NAD 7155 receiver, Boston Acoustics A400 loudspeakers, and a Revolver turntable by Sundown Electronic Engineering. That first system sparked a lifelong fascination with music reproduction, audio engineering, and the pursuit of exceptional sound quality, a passion that continues to this day.
Professionally, John combines that enthusiasm with more than two decades of award-winning experience in journalism, editorial leadership, and strategic communications. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson Polytechnic University) with a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism, he has held senior communications and editorial roles across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. In addition to serving as Senior Editor at Best of High End, he has been Consumer Electronics Editor at Cartt.ca since 2005, where he covers emerging technologies, consumer electronics, telecommunications, and digital innovation. He has attended more than 15 CES exhibitions in Las Vegas, reporting on the technologies and trends shaping the future of home entertainment and connected living.
John’s expertise lies at the intersection of high-end audio, home cinema, luxury technology, and storytelling. He is particularly interested in how thoughtful engineering, industrial design, and innovation come together to create extraordinary listening experiences. Whether reviewing flagship audio components, covering industry developments, or interviewing leading designers and manufacturers, he brings the perspective of both a lifelong enthusiast and an experienced journalist dedicated to helping readers discover the very best in high-performance audio and video.
