2. analog
  3. 1294455712

How is LAMM LP2 compares to the more recent phono

I am now using all LAMM pre/power and my LAMM dealer offers pretty good deal on the LAMM LP2 phono deluxe version for me. I understand that 5-7 years ago, it is considered one of the top phono available but have not heard much about it recently and wonder how it might stand up to the more recent phono unit such as ARC Ref2, AMR, Audio Valve, Rhea Signature or Audia Flight etc.
I plan to audition LP2 but other units will be a bit difficult to find and I may not be able to audition them all unfortunately.
Thanks for your comment
suteetat
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
Lewm,
yes - you are right on this. You need to perform A/B/A and so on comparisons, also using different phono-pres in the same chain, fourth & back. It's a hell of work building up and down. We did it one day long, the Lamm could not reach the Kondo in detail and precision but it provides a wonderful soundstage via MM connection if a superb SUT is used. In this combination it's becomes one of the big phono-pres.

Best & Fun Only - Thuchan

Best & Fun Only - Thuchan
dev's avatar
dev
832 posts
 

Adding to the above A/B/A comparisons info. don't forget when doing this to also consider load change, I have found from going from one phono pre to the next they arn't all eqaul, varying sonic wise via load.
vusi_khumalo
72 posts
 
Thuchan,
Your feedback is in line with my findings in my posting "so you have a valve phono with MM & MC inputs", those built-in Jensen SUTs can be easily bettered!
syntax's avatar
syntax
2,193 posts
 
The secret from Kondo is the high gain. Most compare "something" but in 99% it is always the same "result". The louder unit wins.
This has nothing to do with performance or specs. The Kondo is a soft sounding unit, it has no bite and the transients are not among the fastest. It is a nice unit for harsh and analytical Hardware or for Jazz. Try some old Deccas or mercuries with some fast stops on go (SXL 6355) and the cheap Jensen will show you what's all about. There is something more out there than high gain (btw. in the highest gain position is the SFz the worst solution).
But, like I wrote, there is much worse out there.
Happy listening.
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
Syntax - Fully agree. This is why I matched my old Monos and Deccas on my EMT R80 with the Lamm MM and a very special SUT (not the Kondo). And this is also the reason why it is better to have more than one tonearm or phono pre or TT...

Vusi_khumalo - using SUTs in an intelligent matching is a fine piece of work, and maybe this is what makes analogue experimenting so interesting. You are able to produce results which are so different and really make a wonderful lively reproduction possible.

Best & Fun Only - Thuchan
More to discover