Lamm M 1.2 against Tenor 300 and Boulder 2060

Since you are in Spain, may I urge you to visit the dealer there who sells Lamm electronics and Rockport Technologies loudspeakers, reported by some people as having one of the best sounding setups in the world. I don't have contact information but either of those companies would be able to refer you.

Brian Walsh

I would second Brian's advice. The Halcro and Boulder electronics, in my auditions of them, are excellent but neutral almost to a fault, if that's possible--they reveal so much detail that I wind up hearing more of the recording and the upstream equipment than the music, and that's not the balancing act I want. The Lamm electronics are also pretty close to neutral, but have a slightly dark sound in comparison (neutral but probably a little rolled off in the highs), which I like, and they let the music through beautifully. Have not heard the Tenor, only good things about it. If you go with the Lamm amps, I'd strongly urge using the L2 preamp with them, a great piece of equipment and an excellent match for their amps. My Lamms work very well with NBS cables (Omega 0), by the way, if that's a concern.

I am curious about what type of sound you are really looking for?

Despite the rave press surrounding the Halcro and Boulder electronics, many people, whose ears I trust, seem to share Rcprince's opinion. I hope to audition them in my own system at some point. In general, my understanding is that of the two, the Boulder is often considered somewhat more "musical." I am only familiar with the 18w Lamm and the 75w Tenor, but not any of the hybreds. I have not heard the Tenors with Rockports, but I have with Wilson X1-IIIs. I found them to have a beautiful, but somewhat classic tube midrange and lacking at the extremes compared to high powered SS amps or large VTLs. The Lamm is beautiful sounding, but I also believe they are somewhat restricted on top. To my surprise (having been devoted to tubes for years), I became captivated by the Levinson 33s. I found them to have the least sonic signature of the many amps I auditioned, and without the overly defined character I typically find to be ascribed to the Halcro and Boulder amps. I will also add that the 33s sounded considerably smoother and less SS than the 33H amps, both running at 220v. I cannot understand those who describe the 33H as the less powerful sonic equal to the 33. No comparison. Just my two-cents worth.

The Eidolons need more damping factor than any tube unit will allow, the Lamm included, to control the bass. I have heard the Tenor and prefer the 75w tube unit to the hybrid units and think you will run out of steam with the 75w OTL.....Not familiar with the Boulder, but have a preamp customer who uses a Boulder to drive Avalon Osiris in a huge room, the first amp that had enough power to do so......He liked the JC-1s, but they didn't have enough power for the basketball court he calls a listening room......If you have the time we could build a preamp for you and, if not, the top of the line Lamm is an excellent choice as it is in "production" rather than built to order.

I have to disagree with the comments about Boulder equipment being too neutral or analytical. I have the Boulder 2000 series preamp, DAC, and power amp and have never experienced the irrepressible musicality, beauty of sound, and dimensionality this equipment offers. Yes, they are both neutral and detailed, but in the same way live music is. They are totally musical and coupled with the right speakers and interconnects, offer an overwhelmingly beautiful musical experience. I have owned many of the great names in audio, and this stuff is simply in a league of its own. After more years as an audiophile than I care to think about - my advice is this: the Boulder equipment is hideously expensive but may be cheaper in the long run than buying other (expensive) brands and then selling them at a big loss because you are longing for something more. Find a good Boulder dealer and buy a piece at a time and enjoy the remarkable change you hear. By the way, I have found the Tara Labs interconnects to be highly synergistic with Boulder electronics.