Architectural Digest finally shows audio gear!

Jay-Z has pretty good taste, at least architecturally and in audio gear. It appears he has a Nagra Classic preamp, a Nagra Classic dac, two Nagra Classic amplifiers run as dual mono, what appears to be a technics turntable and Devore O96 speakers in a custom finish.

1%ers love audio, no obsessing though. AD doesn't think it looks great and they aren't wrong much of the time. 

@oldhvymec comment uncalled for. The thread was started to show that an audio system made it in to Architectural Digest. 

@oldhvymec 

There was simply no need for comments about anyone’s appearance. I try not to participate in threads where things can go off the rails: politics, sexism, religion, etc. I initiated the thread merely to show that a system did make it in to Architectural Digest as I recall previous discussions of why weren’t systems ever depicted.

Its pretty clear in the photo that a dual mono Nagra stack and a turntable along with  Devore O96 speakers constitutes a serious system. I would imagine they moved speakers out of the way for a photo shoot but at least the system was pictured.

Your editorializing about Mr. Carter’s wife was unfortunate. Whether your opinion of the decor or the system quality is relevant or not isn’t out of line in the least. Just the sexist comments are. I look the other way though and give you the benefit of the doubt that your automatic assumption that he was from SoCentral LA/Compton because his fortune originated in Hip Hop or whether any mention of San Quentin was necessary in an archtectural thread. You seem like a great guy, youve worked hard, you have a passion for music and gear…I enjoy your frequent stream of consciousness posts…we are not on opposite sides of any issue of which I am aware. With that said, I don’t find sexism, even accidental sexism disguised as locker room banter, funny in the least and wish it had no place on Audiogon. Peace.

@oldhvymec 

All I was trying to communicate is that this thread was about gear or architecture. There are plenty of threads where no one cares what gets posted. This isn’t one of those. 

@femoore12 I agree with you, aesthetics matter. 

@sbank 

Its funny you post the photo from Bosch, a show we enjoyed very much. The first time the system showed up on screen my wife said hey look! Without any hesitation I said there was zero chance the Mac 240 could handle those Ohm speakers appropriately LOL. I will bet it sounds good though at low volumes.

@sbank No worries. Audio and Architecture should coexist. Your post shows that beautifully.

If you've been around movie sets, they tear down and reset for scenes sometimes multiple times per day. In some scenes wire is clearly visible, others they will be set up static. The thing about Jay-Z's office system is that it is in fact a working system. Interior designers WILL spend alot of the client's money hiding cables, running them through walls, the floors, in invisible troughs....

@twoleftears If you look closely at the above photo of Harry Bosch's system, you can see the interconnects.Google "Harry Bosch house", you will see the power cable on his MX110...

@bjesien in some of the Bosch episodes, the tubes are lit and the turntable spinning. With that said, its a 99% chance that the music is overlayed rather than the system ouput mic'd.

Architectural Digest article about the next big thing: Listening Rooms!