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The Venerable Lamm L2

I'm close...

http://images.audioasylum.com/usr/y2...4/IMG_2930.JPG

Lamm L2 Soundstage Review - Courtesy of Marc Mickelson:

http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/lamm_l2.htm

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesaint519 (Post 516157)

I'm close...

http://images.audioasylum.com/usr/y2...4/IMG_2930.JPG

Lamm L2 Soundstage Review - Courtesy of Marc Mickelson:

SoundStage! Equipment Review - Lamm Industries L2 Reference Preamplifier (5/2001)

It's FINALLY on its way!! WHOOOO - HOOOOO!! :banana::banana::banana:

nice!
please keep us updated.
always admired this unit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by analog brother (Post 623095)

nice! please keep us updated. always admired this unit.

I absolutely will. Thx. :)

You have been waiting to get this unit for quite a while. Did you buy a new one? As you know, I ran one for a number of years, with ML2s (which I still have). The midrange is pretty much as good as it gets, and what's amazing is, it is really a solid state preamp (albeit with a tube regulated and rectified power supply). Obviously, you'll experiment with it to learn its inner secrets once you get it in place, but I'll offer:
1. Keep the power supply on all the time; if you power that down, it takes a long, long time for it to come back to its best performance; I think Vlad also recommends this because it is less stressful on the power supply tubes, which must be replaced every year. You can't cheat on that, because you will be robbing yourself of the joy of what this unit can deliver.
2. I assume you already have a good meter- Vlad recommends the Fluke. You'll need that to bias the power supply- not something you have to do frequently, just when you replace the tubes in the power supply.
3. Experiment with isolation and damping of the cabinets, particularly the active circuit box; I wound up using HRS dampers on the top unit, although you'll see they are tricky to place without blocking the air vents on the unit.
4. Don't stack the units- obvious, I guess. I think Syntax, who posts here now, has an L2 as well.
5. Introduce yourself to the Lamms, even if you bought from a dealer, the dealer will ultimately rely on the factory in Brooklyn. They are nice people, and if you have questions, they are helpful.
6. If you bought a used unit, have Lamm go over it for you- he's done that with all of my Lamm gear periodically. And doesn't charge a fortune to make sure it is up to spec. (For example, my L2 was an older unit and he upgraded the switches, replaced some caps, etc. to get it to current spec).
7. Aftermarket power cable- I used K-S, which Vlad was using for a long time, but there may be other cables that are well suited for the unit.
8. ENJOY~
PS: you will hear a difference using the 'direct' out. I also ran XLR.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whart (Post 624058)

You have been waiting to get this unit for quite a while. Did you buy a new one? As you know, I ran one for a number of years, with ML2s (which I still have). The midrange is pretty much as good as it gets, and what's amazing is, it is really a solid state preamp (albeit with a tube regulated and rectified power supply). Obviously, you'll experiment with it to learn its inner secrets once you get it in place, but I'll offer: 1. Keep the power supply on all the time; if you power that down, it takes a long, long time for it to come back to its best performance; I think Vlad also recommends this because it is less stressful on the power supply tubes, which must be replaced every year. You can't cheat on that, because you will be robbing yourself of the joy of what this unit can deliver. 2. I assume you already have a good meter- Vlad recommends the Fluke. You'll need that to bias the power supply- not something you have to do frequently, just when you replace the tubes in the power supply. 3. Experiment with isolation and damping of the cabinets, particularly the active circuit box; I wound up using HRS dampers on the top unit, although you'll see they are tricky to place without blocking the air vents on the unit. 4. Don't stack the units- obvious, I guess. I think Syntax, who posts here now, has an L2 as well. 5. Introduce yourself to the Lamms, even if you bought from a dealer, the dealer will ultimately rely on the factory in Brooklyn. They are nice people, and if you have questions, they are helpful. 6. If you bought a used unit, have Lamm go over it for you- he's done that with all of my Lamm gear periodically. And doesn't charge a fortune to make sure it is up to spec. (For example, my L2 was an older unit and he upgraded the switches, replaced some caps, etc. to get it to current spec). 7. Aftermarket power cable- I used K-S, which Vlad was using for a long time, but there may be other cables that are well suited for the unit. 8. ENJOY~ PS: you will hear a difference using the 'direct' out. I also ran XLR.

Yes, I have been waiting for some time. And every time I had the funds to pull the trigger, some annoying unforeseen circumstance would come along and eat it. But the wait is over. Thanks for the excellent advice. :)

The wait is finally OVER!! The L2 arrived today. And although I couldn't listen for long, what I did hear was epic. Transparent Audio Ref XL RCA ICs, courtesy of Tom King at Definitive Audio in Wash., connected the L2 to the dCS Purcell/ Delius stack. In a word, WHOAAA!!

Superb preamplifier.

I have always been very curious about Lamm products.
Enjoy in great health for many years to come !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerome W (Post 624461)

Superb preamplifier. I have always been very curious about Lamm products. Enjoy in great health for many years to come !

Jerome W,

I appreciate the kind words, truly. I've completed the path to the dark side, and my system is complete. I'd like to swap some components around - dacs, media server - but for all intents and purposes, I won't have to buy any more components. Now l simply get to listen without fear that I may be missing something. WHOOOO - HOOOOO!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesaint519

This is imho the best reward of our time and energy in this hobby. To get to the point or at least to get the deep feeling, that we do not need anything more.
With such a preamp, clearly you can forget the word preamplifier. You will probably never need it to think about an other one.