System Synergy - Analogue 01
J.Sikora, Aidas, Gold Note, Vitus Audio, OePhi
System Introduction
This is a system built around the analogue ritual — the act of placing a record on a turntable and hearing music reproduced with real authority, texture and presence. Every component here has been chosen not just for its individual merit, but for the way it interacts with what comes before and after it in the signal chain. From the rock-solid speed stability of the J.Sikora turntable, through the rich, gold-laced voice of the Aidas cartridge, the extraordinary flexibility of Gold Note’s phono stage, and the effortless power of Vitus Audio amplification, to the breathtaking transparency of OePhi’s handmade Danish loudspeakers — this is a system in which each link serves the music rather than drawing attention to itself. The result is an analogue front end with the refinement and resolution to reveal everything in your record collection, paired with amplification and loudspeakers that have the dynamic range and coherence to do it justice. At a combined system price of under £50,000, this represents a carefully considered route to genuinely world-class vinyl replay.
Turntable: J.Sikora Aspire
RRP from £6,000
The Aspire is the newest and most accessible turntable from the highly acclaimed Polish manufacturer J.Sikora, a company whose upper-tier designs have earned a devoted following among serious analogue enthusiasts worldwide. Despite being the entry point to the range, there are no shortcuts here. The Aspire inherits core technologies directly from its more expensive siblings, including the same DC motor and controller found in the company’s costlier models, an inverted ceramic ball bearing mounted on cast iron, and adjustable steel cone feet sitting on ceramic balls for proven vibration isolation.
The chassis is machined from a solid slab of PA6 aluminium, with the motor and controller neatly integrated into the underside — a design decision that simplifies setup and keeps the turntable’s footprint compact at just 430 x 350 x 180mm. The 4kg Delrin platter, carried over from the Initial series, offers excellent vibration-damping properties. At 21kg, the Aspire has a real sense of substance and solidity that belies its position in the range.
What matters most, of course, is the sound, and the Aspire delivers the hallmark J.Sikora qualities: exceptional speed stability, an energetic and rhythmically engaging presentation, and the kind of tight, fast bass that makes records sound alive. It provides a foundation of precision and composure upon which the rest of this system can build.
Product Page
Cartridge: Aidas Tru-Stone Gold Web MC Cartridge
RRP £5,200
From the workshop of Aidas Svazas in Kaunas, Lithuania, comes a cartridge that is as visually striking as it is musically accomplished. Aidas has over twenty years of experience hand-building moving coil cartridges, and the Tru-Stone Gold Web sits within the AU-CU series — cartridges featuring gold-plated copper coils that offer a step up in resolution and naturalness over the copper series below.
The body is made from Tru-Stone, a composite consisting of over 85% real stone combined with natural pigments and resins, with veins of gold powder running through it in a web-like pattern. It looks extraordinary — angular and dark with flashes of gold, reminiscent of ancient cracked stone — but the choice of material is far more than aesthetic. Different body materials have distinct damping properties that influence the cartridge’s sonic character, and the Tru-Stone offers a unique combination of density and vibration control.
Inside, the generator uses a custom Mk2 design manufactured by Namiki in Japan, with an Adamant boron cantilever and MicroRidge stylus for exceptional tracking precision. The magnet is AlNiCo5, the cartridge pins are 24K gold, and the output is a low 0.28mV — demanding a capable phono stage, which is exactly what follows in this system. With a weight of 12.6g and a recommended tracking force of 1.9g, the Tru-Stone Gold Web is a cartridge that rewards careful setup with a sound that is detailed, dynamically expressive and tonally rich.
Product Page
Phono Stage: Gold Note PH-1000 Lite
RRP from £6,400
The Italian-made PH-1000 Lite is the most accessible version of Gold Note’s flagship phono stage, yet it remains one of the most advanced and flexible phono preamplifiers available at any price. Built around a fully analogue, discrete-component circuit with a Class A output stage, it offers the kind of ultra-low-noise, high-gain amplification that a refined low-output cartridge like the Aidas demands.
Three independent inputs — two unbalanced RCA and one balanced XLR — allow connection of multiple tonearms or turntables. There are twelve impedance loading options on the RCA inputs and eight on XLR, seven capacitance settings, and gain adjustable from 40dB for moving magnet cartridges up to 60dB for moving coil. This level of configurability means the PH-1000 Lite can be precisely matched to the Aidas Tru-Stone Gold Web, extracting every last drop of performance from the cartridge.
Where the PH-1000 Lite truly distinguishes itself is with its 36 equalisation curves — 18 classic and modern presets, each with an enhanced variant inspired by the Neumann cutting lathe. For anyone with a collection spanning different eras and labels, this opens up the possibility of hearing older pressings as they were intended to sound, not just through the standard RIAA curve. All of this is controlled via an intuitive colour display and single rotary knob, with a supplied remote for adjustments from the listening seat. Both RCA and XLR outputs are provided, along with a headphone output for direct, shortest-path vinyl listening. The PH-1000 Lite also offers a clear upgrade path within the Gold Note ecosystem, with optional external power supplies and valve output stages available for those who wish to go further.
Product Page
Amplifier: Vitus Audio RI-101 Mk.II Integrated Amplifier
RRP £17,300
At the heart of this system sits the RI-101 Mk.II from Danish manufacturer Vitus Audio — a company whose upper-range components regularly command six-figure sums. The RI-101 Mk.II is the entry point to the Vitus world, the first product designed for their Reference Series, and it carries the unmistakable DNA of the brand’s more rarefied creations.
This is a serious amplifier. It delivers 300 watts per channel into 8 ohms, doubling to 600 watts into 4 ohms, with Class A operation for the first portion of its output before transitioning smoothly into Class AB. That combination of refinement at low levels and reserves of effortless power makes it an ideal partner for the revealing and dynamically capable OePhi speakers in this system. The Mk.II revision brought significant improvements over its predecessor: a redesigned input stage and preamplifier section that substantially lowers the noise floor, and a higher-resolution volume control borrowed from Vitus’s more expensive SL-103 and MP-L201 models.
Connectivity is generous, with three balanced XLR and two unbalanced RCA inputs as standard. For those who wish to add digital sources, an optional DAC/Streaming module can be fitted, bringing Roon Ready certification, Tidal Connect, Qobuz, and network streaming capability to the amplifier — a thoughtful provision that future-proofs the investment. The RI-101 Mk.II is finished with Vitus Audio’s signature minimalist aesthetic, available in Pure White, Jet Black and Warm Silver as standard, with bespoke finishes available to order.
Product Page
Speakers: OePhi Immanence 2.5 Loudspeakers
RRP £12,495
The final link in the chain is a pair of handmade Danish loudspeakers from OePhi Acoustics, the work of designer Joakim Juhl, who brings more than 25 years of experience in driver selection, crossover design and acoustic optimisation to every product he creates. The Immanence 2.5 is the company’s penultimate speaker, sitting just below the Reference model, and it received a Highly Commended award from hi-fi+ magazine in 2025.
This is a 2.5-way reflex-loaded floorstanding design, standing a metre tall and weighing 22kg. It employs a pair of 175mm Purifi drivers — one handling midrange and bass duties, the other dedicated to the lowest frequencies — topped by a large 110mm ribbon tweeter that delivers an extended, airy high frequency response reaching up to 40kHz. Crucially, the Purifi cones are untreated paper rather than the standard doped version, a deliberate choice by Juhl to preserve speed and natural tonal character. The crossover is a no-compromise affair of massive copper foil inductors, DC-biased capacitors and toroidal inductors, all hard-wired rather than mounted on a conventional PCB.
The result is a loudspeaker of remarkable transparency, speed and coherence. Timing is exceptional — detail is presented in a way that preserves the natural attack and decay of every note, giving music a sense of life and rhythmic integrity that draws you in. Bass extends to a genuine 30Hz in-room, sensitivity is a healthy 90dB, and with a nominal 6-ohm impedance, the Immanence 2.5 is a thoroughly comfortable match for the Vitus RI-101 Mk.II’s prodigious power reserves. These are speakers that reward a clean, high-quality signal with an honest and deeply engaging musical performance — exactly what this system is designed to deliver.
Product Page
Wrapping up
Taken together, this system represents a complete, considered analogue signal path at a total investment of under £50,000. Every component has been selected to serve a common purpose: to get out of the way of the music and let the recording speak for itself. From the mechanical precision of the J.Sikora turntable through to the unflinching transparency of the OePhi loudspeakers, this is a system that rewards attentive listening — one that reveals layers in familiar records you may never have noticed before, and makes new discoveries feel genuinely thrilling. It is built for the listener who values substance over spectacle, who cares about timing and texture as much as tonal beauty, and who understands that the true measure of a great hi-fi system is not how impressive it sounds, but how long it keeps you in the listening chair. If vinyl is your primary source and musical honesty is your priority, this is a system that will deliver for years to come.
COMPONENT LIST
- J.Sikora – Aspire Turntable | Product page
- Aidas – Tru-Stone Gold Web Cartridge | Product page
- Phono Stage – Gold Note – PH-1000 Lite | Product page
- Amplifier – Vitus Audio – RI-101 Mk.II Integrated Amplifier | Product page
- Speakers – OePhi – Immanence 2.5 | Product page
Join the Airt Mailing List
Keep up to date with new product launches, exclusive deals and the latest news in the realm of high-end audio.
"*" indicates required fields
