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Here is the three-tier Mains Independent Phono Stage flanked by a pre-production turntable off its customary stand which otherwise would conceal the various battery supplies.

To arrive at the precise supply voltages required, Schmidlin can't use automotive SLA batteries or equivalents for this device. So he builds banks of 150 Lithium batteries each that occupy the two lower boxes clad in MDF, then lacquered in seven layers. The numerical voltage displays can be turned off of course.

The top Birch enclosure deliberately avoids lacquers and thus, static and goes for hand-rubbed oils. The Cocobolo knobs and stand uprights are hand-polished to such a high degree as appearing satin lacquered even though they eschew any treatment whatsoever. As a trained chemist, Schmidlin is very particular about such matters.

For sonic reasons, avoidance of field effects and more, Schmidlin favors particular woods but in a concession to customer requests, the fronts here are adorned by anodized metal facing as is a small plate dressing up Tube Island.

Wood too are the Arbelos Elektroakustik WoodLenses by Christoph Mijnssen of Rorschacherberg underneath the kit.

Here is the vented Cocobolo top without the four corner mount screws.

The back shows RCA and XLR outputs and ground posts on either side to reach a turntable placed left or right. The cables here are Serge's own, naturally of treated silver encased in cotton and terminated in wood sleeves.

Here's the battery bank for the transistor amplifier driving the Audio Consulting 106dB Rubanoide speakers.

Here are the guts of a MIPA amplifier.

Arm-chair tweaks should by now have sobered up all the way. Still feel condescendingly superior?