Lamm M1.2 v. ML2.1


Has anyone had the opportunity to compare the Lamm M1.2 hybrid and the ML2.1 SET amps? I am very curious as to how close they sound to each other and how much "magic" one might give up in going with the hybrid as opposed to the SET. I am also interested in how the L2 hybrid and LL2.1 all tube preamps compare. Thanks.
americanflag
In addition to reading the reviews on Soundstage, Marc now has a new ezine called "The Audio Beat" and he and the staff are very responsive to readers' emails. You can ask him directly and I bet you will get a pretty quick response.

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/index.htm

You might also post your question on the Lamm forum. Although I have posted there before and it doesn't seem to get much response or traffic. Maybe Lamm owners are too busy listening to music!

http://audioaficionado.org/lamm/

Dave
The ML2.1 is one of the best (true, no coloration) sounding Amp available. But, the bring the best out of it you need a Speaker which is not a "black hole" from the crossover/Chassis.
The M1.2 is imo the next best for the User with a regular sensitive Speaker.

My experience with LL2 Preamp
Unbelievable good. From Performance and Price. Clear in Tone, superb Soundstage, no smeared detail and when you hear voices with the LP2 as source, it is the real thing.
The L2R is a bit better in the higher frequencies, based on better parts, but it has not the Magic from the LL2
I can only comment on the LL2 (original version) vs. the L2, both of which I heard in my system (the LL2 for several weeks), so take it with a little salt. The L2 was more refined, a bit more neutral, with ultimately deeper bass extension (the LL2 was just a little fat in the mid bass, nothing you would really complain about nor really notice but for the comparison with the L2). That said, had I decided on having a Lamm preamp instead of the Jadis I wound up buying, I would have chosen the LL2, because it has more of that tube "magic" as Syntax correctly points out.

I also agree with Syntax that the ML2.1 will really restrict the number of speakers that you can use with it. You really need a very sensitive speaker, and even then there are only a few speakers around that are sensitive enough to let the full glory of that amp shine through. The M1.2s (and for that matter, the ML1.1s I own) will handle far more speaker loads than the ML2.1s. I do not think that either, though, can match the ML2.1's SET magic on the right speaker, good as they are.