Amp for Acoustic Zen Crescendo 2 ?

Grannyring,

Very well said,+1 on all of your statements.

I tell lots of newer people in our hobby that a great system is put together with a set of priorities in mind and at the end of the day we listen to a system as a whole and not the individual components.And Offcourse each one of us has our own list of priorities that are unique to us individually.

I will boldly predict that in 10 yrs or less class d amps and all in one components such as the Lyngdorf will turn the audio industry upside down.A higher percentage of audiophiles will buy them for the convenience,simplicity, potential overall value,and great sound.

You are definitely one of the early adopters and I can tell from your words and statements that you truly love the sound you are hearing with your system and I think that is just totally awesome.

Kenny.

Kenny you just wrote exactly what I am thinking and chose not to share🙂

One box solutions without all the ICs, power cords, digital cables, longer signal paths, additional noise and complexity are indeed the future. No doubt about it. What is coming, and here now for room correction, will be and is so impressive! Our walls and rooms will be invisible to our future systems! This alone will and has brought sonic improvements impossible not that long ago. We will be able to use software and small chips (something like this) to taylor the sound if you want. Want that DHT SET sound, then you can have it without the additional noise. Want that 100 watts of Class A SS sound, then you can have it without all the heat. Want absolute neutrality, you can have it. So much more than I can think of on my own.

I am an innovation professional and sense we are in the midst of historic sonic improvement. These are special times and unique in all of audio history. The technology is more disruptive in nature than even the tubes to SS thing that happened decades ago.

Anyway, now is the time to have an open mind and explore the possibilities. I am very attracted to tubes on so many levels, but the reality is I must be open to a future which will bring many wonderful options.

I will end my little "excitable boy" post with one word......noise. Until you hear a system/electronics that has all but eliminated it, you just don't understand all the noise you are living with in your system. Noise is sonic bliss's enemy #1.  It obscures detail, nuance, tone, ebb & flow, and emotion at all volumes. Innovation will incarcerate this sonic criminal. 

For the OP. The Lyngdorf 2170 I own with my Crescendo speakers does not sound like a 50 watt PP tube amp, or 845, or 805 amp. There are tradeoffs. There are two main benifits this unit brings to your system. First, It removes noise you had no idea was mixed in with your favorite music. It is uncanny and arresting at first. Noise always sounds louder and even impressive at first. However, it is robbing your system and ears of fidelity. I hear more of the music and all that was intended in the recording. Yes, I can turn it up and want to because the noise is greatly reduced . I am sure the future will bring even more improvement.

Secondly, What the room correction did for my system’s sound was also arresting. Both these things outweigh the lack of "tubes" reality in my system. Again, there are always tradeoffs. At least for now, the future will bring far less☺️

Many great attributes about the LM is that it sounds wonderful at low listening level, I turned it up a notch or two to simulate an average volume level but I listen typically lower and probably peaking at 75 db.

One of the most fascinating things I have discovered with output tube amplifiers even though they don't have the low end grip of the best solid-states, they make up for it with better mid-bass, sonic presentation with clean and taught bass; you actually hear more bass.

Definitely try as many of combos as possible to see which one suites your listening environment and taste.

I listened to both Vitus and LM side-by-side with the music I listen to the most and LM was head and shoulders above in every category and the LM has gotten much better with burn-in and tube upgrades; it's amazing how punchy this 48 Watt unit competes with a 350+ Watt power-house...


Wig

Bill,
That’s quite a soapbox you’re perched upon 😊
Seriously I know we’re both after the best sound quality and music reproduction we can realistically obtain in our respective homes. I am not sure of you references to an "open mind " . Are you perhaps suggesting that your decision to purchase an all in one digital component equates to this status?

I’m open minded in the true sense of the term and this is why I would never question your audio system decisions, Absolutely not. To each their own. We all determine through trial and error what works out best for us sonically. The Lyngdorf could be all that you claim. If an opportunity arose for me to hear one I’d happily try it.

I’ve heard the lower noise arguement in reference to tubes ad nauseum. All audio devices have some forms of coloration and character, no exceptions. I’ve listen to many audio components over many years (as you have as well) I judge simply on what I hear.

New and innovative is inevitable but doesn’t imply better, there are always hits and also misses, success and failure. I sincerely appreciate your energetic enthusiasm for the Lyngdorf. I may share your enthusiasm if I ever hear one, who knows?

Admittedly I harbor some level of skepticism when something is touted as the latest and greatest and will make all that came before it obsolete. Time and exposure will tell. Bill I enjoy the discussion and I hope the Lyngdorf brings you many years of sonic joy.
Charles