Aesthetix Io vs Lamm LP2


Hi,

I currently have the Aesthetix Io in my system. I am thinking of switching to the Lamm LP2. Has anyone owned/listened to both in the same system and can tell me what I can expect switching to the Lamm? I read many reviews of Lamm equipment and keep reading "dark". Is this correct?

Thanks
Rich
rmaurin
Gladstone, I like your explicit reasoning. Next thing ya know, you'll be giving us some ridiculous advice like "Buy Maggies and have them modded" or "get an HR-X with a Colibri" or, worse yet, "have Rives design you a room!" Sheesh!!!! :-) Hey Jacob, I will let you know soon about getting out to hear your system!

On the Io issue, Rich, as you may remember, I have owned and reviewed the original Io. I have also owned the Lamm and the Signature Io but that was in my former system. I currently have a Manley Steelehead with another Io Signature (already broken in) arriving tomorrow. I can let you know my impressions of that Io Sig in a few days. My memory of both the Lamm and Io coincides with Rcprince's advice, they are BOTH world class phono stages and most likely lateral moves and your preference will be dependent on a number of things including, room, system synergy (including table and arm), your listening preferences, and, as you know, your ability or desire to tube roll with the Io. I can tell you that the Signature is better than the Io and has Roderstein resistors which, IMHO, outperform the Mills from the original Io and provide greater reliability (see the Aesthetix site to read about Jim's lawsuit with Mills and how defective resistors may have been the cause of some Io owners' concerns over its reliability). Moreover, with the upgraded caps in the Sig it seemed to provide better space, dynamics, subtle detail and extension over the ooriginal Io when I had it in my former system.

OTOH, I really liked the finesse, delicacy and refinement of the Lamm and, over the original Io, lowered noise floor(not to mention the single chassis and lower amount of tubes in the Lamm). However, as people have noted, the single gain setting and single loading setting can be a problem in some systems.

Hope this helps.
Frank,

Please post the URL to the page where Jim White disusses the Mills resistor issue.

Thanks
Rich
Rich,
Note I am disclosing from the start that I have a Steelhead on the market for sale. That said, my opinion of phono stages - I had the IO Signature, the LP 2 Deluxe, the Groove, and the Steelhead at the same time for comparison and could A/B each without depending on memory or a dealer's system with which I was not familiar in order to make an opinion. I had a Lamm L2 and a Tom Evans Vibe with the Pulse power supply to use as line stages in the comparisons.
The IO had good dynamics and a tube presence that is quite enjoyable. It, however, was the noisest of the group and the most prone to RF problems. Hum was a constant battle and the more boxes it has the more prone. It lost out to the marked reduction of background noise of the others. The number of tubes to replace or to upgrade to NOS is staggering and almost doubles the price of the unit.
The Groove was clean, clean clean. It had neither tube coloration nor solid state sterility. It has a phase correctness that is not equaled by any other component I have heard except the Vibe. It had a bit of a haze over it in comparason to the Steelhead. Most are loaded improperly for most systems and the higher loaded units CANNOT be reduced to low loading in a simple manner. As I understand other components (op amps) are of a different characteristic so the boards themselves are different and need to be changed. It lost a bit of fullness and dynamic to the others. It performs best with the Vibe.
The LP 2 Deluxe was a wonderful unit with a low end that was dynamic and thrilling. It gave the music a foundation and realism that made most others sound a bit bare and anemic. It was the low end champion. It also is a fixed loading that is not optimum for many systems. It also had a bit of a haze over it in comparison to the Steelhead. It was overall a bit more congested than the Groove or the Steelhead.
Of the group I ultimately prefered the Steelhead. I found I could "tune" it to get the best from my system. It is more transparent than the others. This took some listening time to adapt to, but the others became somewhat subdued and congested in comparison. At the same time it is not thin and has excellent dynamics. It can be used as a line stage and eliminate another component and set of cables.
I could find specific records to synergize with the characteristics of each unit and make the choice more confusing (or fun).
Short answer to your original question IMO I would prefer the Lamm to the IO or the IO Signature if the Lamm is the LP 2 Deluxe version. I would probably prefer the IO Signature to the LP1. I have not had the LP1, but base my thoughts on the relative comparison of the IO and the LP 2 Deluxe.
Why, then am I selling the Steelhead? I want to try something else - it is a hobby. I have been thinking about the Boulder or Connoisseur and certainly cannot have number of units at the same time if I go with one of them. The new Groove with the beefed up power supply would be another possibility, tho little is known about it at this time.
Take this as you may from someone selling, but that was my experience. Each of the above are excellent and would make a good long term choice with many years of enjoyment. I think this entire group is a good step up from many other popular units that I have tried.
My system - Rockport Serius ll table and arm, VdH Colibri, Steelhead, Vibe, Wavelength Venus and Tenor amps, Avantgard Trio horns with bass mods driven by Krell. Cables are all Jena Labs.
Hello, I just received my Aesthetix Io signature w/ volume controls about one month ago.I'm still breaking it in. I have not compared it to the Lamm. I have compared it to the Steelhead.I have no problems with RF or excessive tube noise. Although, I am accustom to tube "rush" with systems I've had in the past. The Aesthetix is a liability in terms of shelf space and tube complement. The naturalness of presentation on my system with the Aesthetix edged out the Steelhead. I was willing to take the risk with the number of tubes based on performance.

Sounds like the Io, Lamm, Groove are all about being on a similiar plain with different trade offs..

Good Luck...AJ
Well, Rich, you have a lot of info. I think you would like either the Lamm or Steelhead; I suspect the IO is not up to either, at least in its original iteration.
Frank--glad to see you're using Audiogon as your travel advisory! Now hustle on down...so you can hear real speakers.