Lightspeed Attenuator - Best Preamp Ever?

I have had the fortune of playing with this Lightspeed preamp/attenuator over the past 10 or so days thanks to Tony (Clio09). Thank you Tony for giving me this great opportunity. I have tried several passive units in the past and the LSA is the best by a wide margin to my ears. At least in my present system which consists of the following;

Soundlab A3 speakers (modified and improved back-plates)

Atma-sphere MA-1 Version 3.1 amps with all possible options added

TRL modified Sony SACD player (battery powered DAC)

Fusion Romance IC’s/Enchanter power cable ( 1 meter IC’s)

TRL power and speaker cables

TRL Dude preamp

BPT 3.5 Ultra with all options on the Dude, Sony and SL speakers

I compared the LSA to my current TRL Dude preamp. The Tube Research Labs Dude is a tube preamp that is priced at $3600. I have written much about it here on the Gon including a full review.

Let me bottom line my conclusions on the LSA and how it compares to the Dude. First, my comments are based on my room and associated gear and system matching is always an important determinate to consider. I do feel the LSA worked very well and “fit” in my system.

The LSA is very clean and detailed with excellent dynamics and fast and deep bass. I am quite impressed with the LSA’s dynamic punch and speed. The stage size is very wide and reflects a recording with intended large stage size. If you desire transparency, then the LSA has that in spades. For $450 it is a very good buy indeed. I can’t imagine a preamp as good for the price. I certainly have not heard one.

In the end I could not live without the Dude and now have the LSA packed up and ready to send back to Tony. The Dude simply has more to offer the listener and to the recorded music. The LSA could not match the ease and finesse of the Dude. The Dude caused the music to swell and bloom with every turn of the volume. In fact, I found myself turning the music up more with the Dude and tapping my toe. The LSA tended to sound less at ease on loud music or when the music became more complex. I missed the foundation and body of instruments that the Dude revealed.
The vocals through the Dude had more throat and weight/body.

The LSA was more forward sounding with instruments coming forth with almost spooky intimacy. Fun to listen to and very impressive. The utter transparency is quite impressive to experience. The longer I listened the more I felt the music was a tad too forward and forced onto me. I wondered if the utter transparency was also linked to a slight stripping away of the deeper tones and resonances of the various instruments and voices in effect leaving the remaining music naked and bare to the listener. (compared to the Dude) I don’t know. Some will say the Dude is adding this texture and body to the music. I am not sure I agree, but I also realize all of us have different likes and priorities in the sound we enjoy.

I just attended a symphony recently and found the instruments did in fact have more of this deeper tone and meaty foundation.

The reader must keep in mind that my Dude preamp is the best sounding preamp I have yet to encounter and has bested many an expensive preamp costing up to $10,000. It has bested some of these by a wide margin.
I really enjoyed my time with the LSA and if I did not own the Dude I am sure I would be purchasing one. The Dude has spoiled me perhaps or perhaps it is the perfect mate to my particular set of ears and preferences.

I forgot to add that my Soundlab speakers are very revealing and I would not consider them warm sounding. My Atma-sphere amps are also quite revealing and I would not consider them warm sounding. The LSA is also very revealing and with it in my system the net result may be to much of a good thing - transparency?

Just a thought....

Thanks for your comments Bill. I'm glad you enjoyed listening to the LSA. I'm missing it myself so I'm also glad to hear it will be returning to its home:)

I find your last comment on the potential for too much of a good thing an interesting one. I've sometimes felt that depending on various components being assembled, this can occur. I also sense a difference using the LSA with my Atma-Sphere versus my VAC amps. The former combination is much more transparent, the latter adding a touch of warmth and bloom to the mid-range. I'd say my Music Reference RM-10 MkII is somewhere in the middle, closer to the Atma-Sphere than the VAC. I enjoy all the presentations. One not necessarily being better than the other, just different.

Personally, ever since I listened to my first passive preamp (a custom built K&K Audio TVC) I have felt active preamps are additive (some may offer more transparency than others, but in the end they are adding something to the mix). I even felt this way with my old TRL preamp. In the end that's just my opinion and I'm sure there will be some disagreement on that from others here as we all have our preferences.

I should also point out that the LSA is a champ at bringing all of the detail and parts of the music into the front row. I was hearing instument lines that on my Dude were more muted or set-back. Some may really like this. This is what really got my attention in the first hour or so of listening.