Whitecamaross,
First - a safe, healthy, prosperous and Happy New Year to all :-)
I've heard the Lamm 1.2's, a while ago but the key points still very much remembered. The equipment was familiar - Wilson Sasha I's, Meridian 861v6, high end MIT Oracle cables. The listening session was an extended, private session at a high end retailer in NYC with other audiophiles.
I was doing this because we were going to invest in amplifiers for our integrated theater system (our set up has an emphasis on 2 channel audio) and I wanted to specifically evaluate the Lamm 1.2's.
Before I comment - I have to state when evaluating equipment (and set ups for that matter) that my personal objective (with our system) is to recreate the live performance as convincingly as possible, with my reference being actual live performances. While I cannot compare all recorded music to it's live performance, critiquing a system in this perspective distinguishes components in a manner that is different from outright performance. Case in point with the great Lamm 1.2's.
Our current system, while not near the level of performance of your system / components, strives to accomplish this and does so convincingly (I was astonished when our son played his saxophone in our music room and I play some well recorded saxophone music). Room acoustics play a very significant role as well (being an engineer, I crudely treated our room with good results).
Back to the Lamm 1.2's - after CRITICAL listening to Momentum amplifiers (the most similar to our own Pass XA200.5's but reviewed as having better bass in a major magazine - I couldn't tell this in that system and time frame), Spectral amplifiers (SLIGHTLY dry) and Lamm 1.2's (SLIGHTLY bass heavy).
The Pass and Momentum amplifiers reproduce and allow one to hear into the recorded venue as it was performed - something that is critical to me. In this system, most noticeably the Lamm 1.2's produced slightly more bass then the other amplifiers - a critical evaluation here but noticed by all present and confirmed by those present who were intimate with the performance.
BTW - the previous comments on the other amplifiers were also easily recognized and agreed upon by all present once properly described, except for the Pass / Momentum comparison - which is my own comment.
So, while the Lamm 1.2's were SLIGHTLY bass heavy in that system (synergy no doubt playing an issue here), with their performance being very very good, someone who evaluates equipment on outright performance might prefer the Lamm 1.2's because of their slight increased bass. Yet, when compared to the live performance, this SLIGHT increase in bass wasn't natural.
I hope not to get involved in any negativity that has occurred previously in this thread. I'm a humble individual who respects everyone's experiences and opinions and believe everyone benefits from sharing while respecting each other. I no longer have the time to go and evaluate equipment like I used to, and there are significantly less brick and mortar retailers with this level of equipment - so I very much value our sharing. This is the intent I post with.
While I have a million things to take care of daily, I will most certainly assemble a room and system that I'll be willing to share with fellow audiophiles with a sense of confidence. How long it will take me is a good question - and while others compliment our system, I think we all can agree that we're the most critical of our own system when sharing it with others (at least I know I am). I found myself explaining our system's limits / weaknesses after extended listening - while a few very good friends told me to shut up because they were enjoying the music!
Best New Year to all :-)
First - a safe, healthy, prosperous and Happy New Year to all :-)
I've heard the Lamm 1.2's, a while ago but the key points still very much remembered. The equipment was familiar - Wilson Sasha I's, Meridian 861v6, high end MIT Oracle cables. The listening session was an extended, private session at a high end retailer in NYC with other audiophiles.
I was doing this because we were going to invest in amplifiers for our integrated theater system (our set up has an emphasis on 2 channel audio) and I wanted to specifically evaluate the Lamm 1.2's.
Before I comment - I have to state when evaluating equipment (and set ups for that matter) that my personal objective (with our system) is to recreate the live performance as convincingly as possible, with my reference being actual live performances. While I cannot compare all recorded music to it's live performance, critiquing a system in this perspective distinguishes components in a manner that is different from outright performance. Case in point with the great Lamm 1.2's.
Our current system, while not near the level of performance of your system / components, strives to accomplish this and does so convincingly (I was astonished when our son played his saxophone in our music room and I play some well recorded saxophone music). Room acoustics play a very significant role as well (being an engineer, I crudely treated our room with good results).
Back to the Lamm 1.2's - after CRITICAL listening to Momentum amplifiers (the most similar to our own Pass XA200.5's but reviewed as having better bass in a major magazine - I couldn't tell this in that system and time frame), Spectral amplifiers (SLIGHTLY dry) and Lamm 1.2's (SLIGHTLY bass heavy).
The Pass and Momentum amplifiers reproduce and allow one to hear into the recorded venue as it was performed - something that is critical to me. In this system, most noticeably the Lamm 1.2's produced slightly more bass then the other amplifiers - a critical evaluation here but noticed by all present and confirmed by those present who were intimate with the performance.
BTW - the previous comments on the other amplifiers were also easily recognized and agreed upon by all present once properly described, except for the Pass / Momentum comparison - which is my own comment.
So, while the Lamm 1.2's were SLIGHTLY bass heavy in that system (synergy no doubt playing an issue here), with their performance being very very good, someone who evaluates equipment on outright performance might prefer the Lamm 1.2's because of their slight increased bass. Yet, when compared to the live performance, this SLIGHT increase in bass wasn't natural.
I hope not to get involved in any negativity that has occurred previously in this thread. I'm a humble individual who respects everyone's experiences and opinions and believe everyone benefits from sharing while respecting each other. I no longer have the time to go and evaluate equipment like I used to, and there are significantly less brick and mortar retailers with this level of equipment - so I very much value our sharing. This is the intent I post with.
While I have a million things to take care of daily, I will most certainly assemble a room and system that I'll be willing to share with fellow audiophiles with a sense of confidence. How long it will take me is a good question - and while others compliment our system, I think we all can agree that we're the most critical of our own system when sharing it with others (at least I know I am). I found myself explaining our system's limits / weaknesses after extended listening - while a few very good friends told me to shut up because they were enjoying the music!
Best New Year to all :-)