Building your Hi-Fi system: interview with Franck, co-founder of maPlatine.com
Franck, co-founder of maPlatine.com and a great lover of music and High-Fidelity passionately told us about the history of his audiophile system, from the early days to currently. 
When did your love of Hi-Fi begin?
I used to play the drums when I was young, I was already a keen music lover. When I was in high school, I spent my lunch money on vinyl records. I later used my first wages at the age of 17 to buy my first vinyl turntable: a Rega Planar 2. I also had an Arcam amplifier and Heybrook speakers.
What does your current Hi-Fi system consist of?
My turntable is a Pro-Ject Signature 12 with an Ortofon Cadenza Black cartridge. I also have a phono preamp, a line preamp, a power amplifier, a DAC and an audio server – primarily from Audio Research – and B&W speakers. 
According to which criteria do you choose your equipment?
There has to be recognised and worthwhile technology and technicality. I can’t buy equipment that is said to be functional, but shoddilly built, or that boasts weird technical operating principles… For example, I opted for the Signature 12 vinyl turntable (amongst others) for its 12 inch tonearm, technologically a great success. The same applies to Audio Research, that offers high-tech equipment. I have been loyal to them for 20 years…
Do you plan to upgrade your system any further?
I’m planning to upgrade my speakers, I will probably opt for Wilson Audio models.
Tell us more about the sound quality you want.
A very neutral, vibrant and authentic playback quality. As a musician myself, I need to hear who is playing, with which instrument, the make… I don’t want an over-exaggerated sound, just highly realistic.
What type of music do you listen to?
I mainly listen to rock, soul, rhythm’n’blues, a bit of jazz and a bit of classical.
If you had to pick 4 records to take on a desert island…
That’s a tricky question… I would say ‘Elvis is Back’ by Presley and ‘Miami’ by The Gun Club. Jazz-wise I would take Sonny Rollins’ ‘Saxophone Colossus’ 33 RPM. And a classical music record: Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte.