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Lightspeed Attenuator - Best Preamp Ever?

The question is a bit rhetorical. No preamp is the best ever, and much depends on system context. I am starting this thread beacuase there is a lot of info on this preamp in a Music First Audio Passive...thread, an Slagle AVC Modules...thread and wanted to be sure that information on this amazing product did not get lost in those threads.

I suspect that many folks may give this preamp a try at $450, direct from Australia, so I thought it would be good for current owners and future owners to have a place to describe their experience with this preamp.

It is a passive preamp that uses light LEDs, rather than mechanical contacts, to alter resistance and thereby attenuation of the source signal. It has been extremely hot in the DIY community, since the maker of this preamp provided gernerously provided information on how to make one. The trick is that while there are few parts, getting it done right, the matching of the parts is time consuming and tricky, and to boot, most of use would solder our fingers together if we tried. At $450, don't bother. It is cased in a small chassis that is fully shielded alloy, it gets it's RF sink earth via the interconnects. Vibration doesn't come into it as there is nothing to get vibrated as it's passive, even the active led's are immune as they are gas element, no filaments. The feet I attach are soft silicon/sorbethane compound anyway just in case.

This is not audio jewelry with bling, but solidly made and there is little room (if any) for audionervosa or tweaking.

So is this the best preamp ever? It might be if you have a single source (though you could use a switch box), your source is 2v or higher, your IC from pre-amp to amp is less than 2m to keep capaitance low, your amp is 5kohm input or higher (most any tube amp), and your amp is relatively sensitive (1v input sensitivity or lower v would be just right). In other words, within a passive friendly system (you do have to give this some thought), this is the finest passive preamp I have ever heard, and I have has many ranging form resistor-based to TVCs and AVCs.

In my system, with my equipment, I think it is the best I have heard passive or active, but I lean towards prefering preamp neutrality and transparency, without loosing musicality, dynamics, or the handling of low bass and highs.

If you own one, what are your impressions versus anything you have heard?

Is it the best ever? I suspect for some it may be, and to say that for a $450 product makes it stupidgood.
pubul57
knghifi
1,668 posts
 
12-30-10: Clio09
$13,550 is a lot of spare change. The way things are going right now I might be able to turn that into $50,000 here in Las Vegas by the end of football season:)

Don't forget all the tubes :-) It's the law of diminishing returns ... in this case, the last 25% is well worth it.

Last week had friend over that's familiar with my system pleaded with me no more changes. The system never sounded so good after rolling in some Tele 12au7 ribbed plates and 1960's Tele e88cc. I still want to roll some 1960 Siemen cca or e88cc and Paul is making me more goodies.

Odds of a stock market correction is better but is tough to fight the fed printing $$.

LSA is my 1st preamp without a remote for volume since my SF SFL 2 many moons ago. In serious listening I like to fine tune the volume on each track and it's a PITA without it. The last thing I need is more exercise :-)
pubul57 OP
3,712 posts
 
Since I had the Joule LA150 SE at the time I got the LSA, I wanted another good linestage to compare it with. So a buddy of mine who has the CAT SL1 Ultimate MKII came over with his unit (70lbs!) just to compare. Well we went through some Lester Young, the Mile Davis Quintet Live at the Plugged Nickel, and some 1960s folk music. The amp I was using was the incredible Music Reference RM10 MKII.

Both preamps sounded wonderful. Could live with either. Let's say my friend was so impressed with the LSA that he is questioning whether to keep the CAT, not that it isn't wonderful, but....

What is the LSA does exceptionally well, where I really see it shine is how right it gets the timbre of instruments, wide and balanced frequency range (plenty of bass), and dynamics. I don't hear anything remotely like 2D sound staging, width, depth, and relative positioning (layering?) seems just about right. Perhaps it is simply getting out of the way and revealing with the RM10 can do - the combo may be a very, very good match.

I previously owned the CAT pre and replaced it with the Joule, after getting a good A/B comparison I still have no qualms about the LSA and its merits. And when I take cost and tube rolling into account, well - I don't think I'll be changing "preamps" and time soon, excepth maybe ot get a dual volume control version of the LSA for channel balance control.

I've not yet tried the LSA with my Atma-sphere amps because I have a lot of 6sn7s and 12au7s for my Atma-sphere preamp, and I'm not sure the M60s will be sensitive enough to go passive. But as I switch to the M60s tomorrow for the winter months, I might give LSA a trial with them.
clio09
3,360 posts
 
Perhaps it is simply getting out of the way and revealing with the RM10 can do - the combo may be a very, very good match.

That's a big part of it, in addition to remaining true to the source.

I've not yet tried the LSA with my Atma-sphere amps because I have a lot of 6sn7s and 12au7s for my Atma-sphere preamp, and I'm not sure the M60s will be sensitive enough to go passive.

They are sensitive enough, trust me.

What is the LSA does exceptionally well, where I really see it shine is how right it gets the timbre of instruments, wide and balanced frequency range (plenty of bass), and dynamics. I don't hear anything remotely like 2D sound staging, width, depth, and relative positioning (layering?) seems just about right.

The designer of my speakers top priority was getting the reproduction of natural timbre right. Putting the LSA in the chain did nothing to disrupt the natural timbre being reproduced by my speakers. It's one of the reasons the LSA is a hit with me.

I agree on the other comments as well regarding dynamics, tonal balance, and sound staging. I'll also add I notice much more how the sound staging varies by recording.
pubul57 OP
3,712 posts
 
that's the way i hear t too. i think that at this point it is not a matter of comparing LSA with others and deciding which is "best". i think it is enough to say it is well worth trying and that some folks might just find it does what they want a preamp to do (or not do), and if you are on a budget, SOTA quality is within reach of those that cannot afford much pricier, and excellent ones too, linestages. within its limits it is worthy of the finest systems IMHO.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
You are right guys the Lightspeed Attenuator (LSA) as you guys have nick named it, is the closest you will get to playing music that's truest to the source (cdp, phono ect), and the truest way to hear the way the recording engineers wanted you to hear how they have recorded the music.
As it adds nothing and subtracts nothing, like I say it is like you have plugged the (cdp or phono ect) directly into the poweramps input, no preamps at all in the signal path, yet still maintain control over the level (volume).
I accept that for some listeners it's preferable to have the added ambience, echo (if you have microphonic tubes). Also the tonal changes, because all active components have their own signature, even different brand potentiometers (Alps, Bournes, Penny&Giles ect)) sound different, compared to a direct (source to poweramp connection) gives, maybe to their ears this is preferable.
But the Lightspeed Attenuator is all about listening to the source nothing added nothing subtracted warts and all.
BTW "LSA" is a registered speaker manufacturer, hope he doesn't get the -----.
Cheers George
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