New LFD Zero LE mkIV

As is typical with Dr Richard Bews, he gives very little away in terms of what it is that he does to an existing model in order to improve it. I’m talking here about the migration or, if you prefer evolution, of the Mk3 and Mk3.1 integrated amplifiers into the Mk4. Dr Bews prefers on balance to discuss, if indeed that is the right word, (and perhaps reveal is a better word?) what the sonic improvements will be as to distinct from how he’s achieved them.

For some while he had been aware that although the bass-end performance on the Mk3 and Mk3.1 was fast and tight, it was a little bit lacking in depth he felt, especially when compared to his legendary PA2M (SE), twin mono in one stereo chassis power amp. Other than the Anniversary series, which has yet to see the light of day, in terms of bass weight, tautness, strength, power, tunefulness and above all integration with the lower mid band, the PA 2M SE represents the ultimate in his current design.

Naturally, if at all possible, he wanted to incorporate that quality of bass performance into his integrated amps. He went some considerable way with the latest version of the NCSE and then he turned his attention to the Le Zero units

As yet, the Mk 4 has not been released other than a few samples in N. America. However, from what he has told me, it is likely that the bass performance will approximate to the outstanding quality of the PA 2M SE. This does not of course make that power amplifier redundant and indeed, the Mk4 LE cannot hope to have the same power and authority as the much heavier (in every sense of the word) NCSE. However, it is certainly true that his efforts have been directed to elevating the overall performance of his entry level integrated amp.

Dr Bews pays particular attention to microphony and the elimination of it whilst bearing in mind that it can never be totally eliminated. He’s been aware for some while from reports around the world that a number of owners of the Mk 3 and Mk3.1 had achieved noticeable sonic improvements by removing the top case and replacing it with a Perspex fabricated case (which end-users had sourced locally) and although Richard, of course as a manufacturer, cannot condone the removal of a top cover where lethal voltages are involved, he was aware that even with his best attempts to apply a bitumen damping to the underside of the top cover of the Mk3 & 3.1 units, it was not an entirely satisfactory solution.

The case work of the Mk4 is considerably heavier and reflects the style an engineering applied to the case work of the NCSE. The cosmetic design isn’t to everyone’s tastes. This matters not one iota to him. his entire motivation is the sound. Aesthetics are in the main an irrelevance to him. given that so few of his 1000s of units rarely appear on eBay or Audiogon, one might conclude that the end-users are pretty much in line that form follows function.

Other modifications and improvements have meant that there is no longer the facility for an on board phono stage. To compensate for this Richard has introduced an entry level phone stage, details of which we hope will become apparent in July.

The waiting list for the Mk4 units is growing and currently we anticipate not being able to fulfil all of the current orders before August or possibly early September of this year.

Howard Popeck
Stereonow.co.UK

Perspex fabricated case tweak? No thanks. The following article is interesting, but doesn't mention this - Perspex has a low melting point. The LFD unit(s) under discussion generally run cool, but IMO, Perspex is not one of the better materials for a amplifier case:

Perspex is a thermoplastic widely used for making unbreakable watch glass.It was first produced in 1930. Its common use is in the form of contact lenses for those people who want to get rid of glasses.It is the most common and reliable alternative to glass. Perspex is too hard and too tough to shatter. But there are other uses of Perspex also beside personal uses. It is also used for making dentures and artificial eyes. Because of having a good degree of compatibility with human tissues it is used for manufacturing lenses and artificial eyes. Being hard and transparent, Perspex has many industrial uses also such as safety goggles, machine safety guards etc.

Perspex is widely used because of its unique property that it can be molded into any shape. Unlike other plastics, Perspex is made directly into sheets during manufacturing. Its specific name of PMMA plastic is used in making plastic bags, squeeze detergent bottles, washing up bounds, etc.

It is also used in film form for packing because it is cheap, transparent, tough, and flexible. It is also manufactured under different names in different places like Rhoplex in USA and Oroglas in Europe.

The cosmetic design isn’t to everyone’s tastes. This matters not one iota to him. his entire motivation is the sound. Aesthetics are in the main an irrelevance to him.

Are you quoting him or making an assumption that this is Mr. Bews stance? If this is true, it's a pretty arrogant stance. It's evident aesthetics are not important to LFD "except" in their top of the line models - and even here it's still too "simple" to be beautiful (lacking elegant details).

As for me it's "very important" and every bit as important as the sound. Having both makes for an exceptional piece. Who wants to display ugly gear?

The LFD LE III front plate and case look DIY. At the MSRP of above 3K I expect a better fit and finish.

given that so few of his 1000s of units rarely appear on eBay or Audiogon, one might conclude that the end-users are pretty much in line that form follows function.

Another meaningless stat. A search of aGon Virtual Systems finds 3 systems. 2 of which are dealers. So out of all recorded aGon virtual systems only one owner list one. To put it in context.

Dear Notec, why arrogant? I would think "sound" or " music" aspect most important. I think he should be applauded. If he had a fancy faceplate the price would go up accordingly. Perhaps you need to consider another piece of gear altogether.

And dear Airegin, thanks for the nice tutorial, but British maker DNM also uses some type of hard plastic, can't remember exactly what, for their cases, for he wants no metal in his design. And their products are superb.

I still cant convey a lot more detail on the Mk4. It's impressing me sound-wise, and I am very comfortable with the looks. The top plate is now a channeled affair, not a flat piece of metal, and overall the changes with the front panel groove and top cover at least to me look good. As much for me as the aesthetics matter but i agree i'd not want to put an ugly unit on display, but this is far from being ugly. I've seen plenty of gaudy high end amps i'd not want to have openly displayed but i would expect many people try to create a nice look for their gear where its a feature or another family member is focused on that (my move from my audiospace was exactly for that reason).
Bass is certainly an interesting topic. I may have wanted the tighter tauter bass described in the Mk3, as my speakers are ending up needing to be relocated to account for what appears to be "more" bass now with the Mk4. But back to back changes are making me question exactly what there is more of and my environment is difficult to really test correctly in - needless to say there is some subtle difference i can hear, but whether the proac's are now showing up a flaw in their bass handling or there's just a lack of synergy I need to find out.
Thanks for the additional discussion on this, it's helpful to get more information and i am looking forward to others who get the amp to provide real world experience i can learn from. The agent here also noted that this unit has pretty much the same "signature" changes I've seen announced for the North America model. I cant confirm that, and have no plan to open up and its probably far beyond anything I can detect or would notice a difference from anyway.