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Lyngdorf TDAI-3400

Well, after reading all the rave reviews of the Lyngdorf TDAI-2170 both here and other places, I decided to order a TDAI-3400 for myself.  I must admit I am still skeptical that such a diminutive piece of equipment can sound better than the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP tube amp weighing more than 50 lbs, but I have been so intrigued by everything I have read I simply had to pull the trigger. 
I just unboxed it today, hooked everything up, and am listening to it for a while before setting up Room Perfect. 
I really want to hear the what the amp sounds like as-is for a bit to understand it better. 
First impressions:  Without Room Perfect it sounds like very nice solid state amps I've owned in the past, but to be honest, I don't find the sound to be particularly moving.  I moved to tubes after years of solid state, and I swore I would never go back.  That is where I'm coming from.  I should also add that I always try to keep an open mind.  While my initial take on it might sound like I don't like it, I hope folks just read this as me being as honest as possible about what I hear.  I know the tendency when buying new gear is to want so badly to love it in order to justify the expense that it's easy to fool oneself into believing it's an improvement over what you had before, even when it's not.  Of course I really want it to be as mind blowing as it has been built up in my mind to be, but if it's not I am OK with simply moving back to what I have liked so far.   
I have only been playing records through it so far.  Analog makes up 98% of my listening so that's where I am starting with it.  I have a nice CD transport that I will connect to it in the next day or so just to hear the DAC in the unit.  I will also experiment with playing files from USB sticks, computer audio from my MacBook Pro, and whatever else I decide.  I am not prepared to purchase a music server just yet, but it's something I have thought about for a while.  
My system:  speakers are Harbeth Monitor 40.1's.  Turntable is an SME 20/2 with SME IV.iv tonearm and Kiseki Purple Heart cartridge, fed to a Parasound JC-3+ phono preamp.  Power conditioner is Audioqest Niagara 7000.  CD transport is a Wadia 8.  
I will report back as I have more time to experiment and let the amp break in.  

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shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
I will add that digital room correction is a mixed bag. If the software is trying to heavily boost a null in the bass then it could easily cause your amplifier to clip in the bass even at modest volume levels.

Audyssey XT32 limited their bass boost to 12 dB on room correction however even that is excessive IMHO.

I no longer use room correction software as I prefer the natural sound of the room and speakers over anything software engineers have been able to achieve artificially!!

On perfectly natural sounding speakers, room correction always sounds slightly artificial to my ears. Some speakers will of course sound better corrected.

unsound
7,332 posts
 
Shadorne, I suspect that to truly make room correction work, one must couple the speaker baffle to the room as much as possible.
waltersalas's avatar
waltersalas
952 posts
 

Since you asked, this little update is for shkong78 and anyone else who may be interested in my findings thus far. First of all, I have about a hundred hours and counting--I believe Bill (grannyring) indicated that the unit may need a lot more time than that to reach its full potential, so consider my report here in that context.

I have been all over the place in my thinking on the 3400. There have been sessions when I was ready to put my Line Magnetic 508ia integrated and Lampizator Atlantic up for sale, so enamored I was with the sound from the 3400. There have been other sessions where I found myself missing the immediacy and eerie presence of my SET amp. I found myself wondering if I could get the best of both worlds by using the 3400 as a preamp and running the 508ia through it. I have not yet tried that, so nothing to report there, but I may give it a whirl at some point. For now, I have been content to take the full measure of the 3400 just as it is until I feel the break-in process is complete.

There is no doubt that the 3400 is an incredible unit, and I am having a blast with it. I have never had better bass in my system than I have now, and the presentation overall is very natural and balanced, with excellent sound staging. There have been several sessions when I have just sat there grinning, utterly mesmerized by the sound.

Without a doubt, there are things about the 3400 that I like more than any other amp or DAC I have ever owned, including the bass, fullness of sound, and imaging, which is pinpoint clear. This is by far the most holographic experience I have ever had with non-tube equipment. The music really is enveloping.

I had feared that the 3400 might be a bit clinical or sterile, but that is not the case at all. It sounds wonderful, and I think there may be further gains to be had with more break-in and finding the best AC cable, USB cable, and speaker cables to run with it.

I would not say that it is "match" for my SET amp--rather, it is actually better in some ways, and perhaps close enough in others. That is exactly what I am trying to decide before making this leap official. 
olesno
87 posts
 

Sorry to hear that Jonathan.  As you know I also have the Encores and the Lyngdorf 3400 but since I was lately very busy at work I did not have a chance to really sit down and play with the unit.  The only thing I noticed initially was that the Lyngdorf was getting hot (like class A amp) at higher volume, let's say -8db.  I contacted Lyngdorf and was assured that that's OK.  I hope to have more time very soon so I can really spend some time with my rig.  BTW, I bought my unit from Tony at Ellington and also highly recommend him.  Thanks to "grannyring".

Hope things will work out for you.  Maybe just a glitch of some type.

shkong78's avatar
shkong78
1,485 posts
 

Thanks a lot Waltersalas for the update.

It would be interesting if you try 3400 pre out to connect to LM 508A.

Please keep us informed of the progress.


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