advertisement


Lavardin Integrateds.

SONDEKNZ said:
Peter,

I'm not sure if you are still considering change but..

As a LEBEN owner myself - LEBEN CS300F and RS30EQ combo - I could heartily recommend them.

But first, your SUGDEN amp is no slouch... Having owned the Ray Samuels F117 Nighthawk myself for a few years, I think you might be quite surprised how a better phono stage could improve things a lot.

Whilst I am a fan of the LEBEN RS30EQ Phono Stage, it could easily be guilty of being too smooth in the wrong system, so I would recommend that you check out the TRICHORD DINO and TRICORD DIABLO Phono Stage options with their NEVER CONNECTED POWER SUPPLY.

I say this, because we still run an earlier TRICHORD iteration - the TRICHORD DELPHINI MK. 2 - 2 CHASSIS PHONO and frankly, it is very hard to go past.

Just a thought...
Click to expand...
I am keen to try the CS600 one day.
 
Having owned a Delphini for the best part of 20 years I quite agree.

I've also owned a Lavardin IS Reference for a similar amount of time. Lavardin are fine amps, well, the original ones are, but they're really designed for high efficiency speakers. I'll never forget the day I bought mine after hearing it running a pair of massive Klipsch horn things way back when.

I've been holding onto it thinking I may eventually end up with something similar someday. Still dreaming.
 
I used the Lavard9=in isx for some years and loved it I twas powering Living voice Avatar speakers which are quite sensitive and they certainly went more than loud enough for me . Unfortunately the amp blew up . I now have a Naim XS 2 integrated and it sounds much worse and is also a pain in the derriere with its connections . I would love to have another Lavardin if available but would also be interested in the Copland CSA 70;
 
JOHN VAN BAVEL said:
I now have a Naim XS 2 integrated and it sounds much worse
Click to expand...

May I ask worse in what sense. I don't have experience with the Lavardin but have listened to the Nait XS1 and higher range pre/power. I presume the Nait XS2 sounds less refined, nuanced or detailed than the Lavardin which you previously owned?
 
Its very hard to put into words why i dont particularly like my Naim . The sound is a bit rough round the edges , harsh , not at all ingratiating . It is certainly powerful and immediate but just not so nice .
 
JOHN VAN BAVEL said:
Its very hard to put into words why i dont particularly like my Naim . The sound is a bit rough round the edges , harsh , not at all ingratiating . It is certainly powerful and immediate but just not so nice .
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update. I can surely relate a lot to the experience. I currently own a Sonneteer Orton, Luxman L-590AXII and Naim 282/250DR. The Naim sounded just like what you have described when directly compared to the other amps. Nevertheless, apart from personal preference, speaker matching plays a part too as some warmer or laid back speakers may benefit from the added verve or roughness at the edges which adds to the excitement. Otherwise, the sound may be a bit dull or smooth round the edges and rolled off in the treble when matched with more neutral or warmer amps such as the Sonneteer or Luxman.

At least I now know that the Naim isn't a good match to the Living Voice Avatar.
 
ryder said:
Thanks for the update. I can surely relate a lot to the experience. I currently own a Sonneteer Orton, Luxman L-590AXII and Naim 282/250DR. The Naim sounded just like what you have described when directly compared to the other amps. Nevertheless, apart from personal preference, speaker matching plays a part too as some warmer or laid back speakers may benefit from the added verve or roughness at the edges which adds to the excitement. Otherwise, the sound may be a bit dull or smooth round the edges and rolled off in the treble when matched with more neutral or warmer amps such as the Sonneteer or Luxman.

At least I now know that the Naim isn't a good match to the Living Voice Avatar.
Click to expand...
How do you find the Sonneteer compares?
 
Pkay said:
How do you find the Sonneteer compares?
Click to expand...
Sonneteer is smoother and more refined than the Naim. The touch is more delicate. The Naim is bolder and more dynamic and forward, and with some speakers the sound can be little bright and rough at the edges particular the treble showing slight glare or hardness. The Orton won't show this trait as the overall presentation is smoother.

With Harbeth speakers I prefer Naim to Sonneteer. With more transparent or brighter sounding speakers the Sonneteer has the edge.

I suspect the Sonneteer sounds closer to the Lavardin than a Naim.
 
Pkay said:
As a LEBEN owner myself - LEBEN CS300F and RS30EQ combo - I could heartily recommend them.
Click to expand...

By the way, I listened to the leben cs600 before driving some big Harbeth speakers about 13 years ago. During that time we swapped several amps mostly solid state (Éxposure 2010S, Lfd and Naim). The Leben sounded most open with an airy and extended treble. Very sweet sounding amp and I thought the Harbeth sounded best driven by the Leben.
 
ryder said:
By the way, I listened to the leben cs600 before driving some big Harbeth speakers about 13 years ago. During that time we swapped several amps mostly solid state (Éxposure 2010S, Lfd and Naim). The Leben sounded most open with an airy and extended treble. Very sweet sounding amp and I thought the Harbeth sounded best driven by the Leben.
Click to expand...

max has a nice one nearly new at 6k if anyone wants one
 
I have a Lavardin IT-15, it works superbly well with my Arts but haven't tried it in any other situation. It's given me the kind of presentation I found I could only previously achieve with some pretty high cost valve or Class A options - but with an easier ownership experience. It's only rated at about 45 wpc so I'd be wary of using it with speakers that prefer more of a push.

I agree about the LV/Naim match, I heard that once and it was pretty grim considering both products can sound fine in other set-ups.
 
Funny you should say that, since I took my Dynavector HX1.2 to Kevin and to paraphrase: ‘That sounds excellent. I was expecting it to sound as grim as Naim.’

He was talking about the bigger amps, a Nait 1 probably would sound great, if a bit noisy. Later I did the sensible thing and used an A21 followed by valves.
 
ryder said:
By the way, I listened to the leben cs600 before driving some big Harbeth speakers about 13 years ago. During that time we swapped several amps mostly solid state (Éxposure 2010S, Lfd and Naim). The Leben sounded most open with an airy and extended treble. Very sweet sounding amp and I thought the Harbeth sounded best driven by the Leben.
Click to expand...
I find my NAIM SN3 a great match with my LV Avatar.
 
Well, I took the plunge and bought the Leben 600x at MAX. Picked it up today and have listened to a few albums already. It certainly is an incredibly musical amp and it delivers the goods in such a big way. Great grip on the Harbeths, musical, detail, an amazing soundstage. Still early days, but I have no regrets whatsoever buying the Leben . My god, it’s bloody heavy too.

A saving of £2K on the new price too. What’s not to like.

Thank you to everyone who contributed suggestions.

Peter
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top