Lamm LL2.1 Deluxe "DC Offset"?

Gr-gin,
Well,it appears that the Lamm has this inherent design issue and will require a more compatible power amplifier. Or keep your amplifier and sell the Lamm, as there's no repair for this situation(design choice).

Charles1dad,

Welll, that actually a statement coming from the dealer free-lancer technician and His statement is contradictory with Lamm statement.

if we learn from the Lamm email, as a manufacturer who design and pruduce the unit, it's clear that this not their natural design. They said that the measurement of AC fluctuation causing high DC fluctuation was PUZLING them and they never had that experince on such case. They also said that even if there is a leakage on the caps, it will never exceed 50-100 DC milliVolt. So, there are two big questions that they themselves dont have the answer.

I believe they can find the answer, only if they deeply and sincerely and honesty listen, learn and dedicated their time to observe the unit. Further, if I were them, I will have myself to look back and learn the design and then have one or two comparison units put in the bench to be tested. And I believe those unit will perform well, contrary to mine.

If that is the design, does a highly fluctuated +-200 milliVolt DC offset common and acceptable to the industry? Secondly, does the small swing of 0.3-0.5 AC voltage that generates a fluctuated hundreeds DC Offset also aceptable to the industry?. If that the case, then Lamm will have extreem difficulty in finding a matching power amp in the market. They can only be paired with Lamm power amp, which is notbthe case.

There is also the fact that for the first 4 weeks the Lamm work well with my entire system, we did have microphonics problem in one of the tubes but we replaced it by new one and things back to normal.

There is also the fact that before I bought the unit, I firstly contact Lamm whether their preamp will be matching with my system, their answer is: the Lamm LL2.1 will work well with any power amp as long as the input impedance is 10k-ohm or more.

Again, the answer is depend on how serious the dealer, technician and Lamm trying to solve the problem. Not shifting the issue or blamming other products.

I would go with option 1 and have the dealer replace the caps. That way you will have shown Lamm a good-faith effort on your part to see if that was the problem.

And who knows, maybe that will fix things. If not, then it's time for either a full replacement or your full money back.

Am very very surprised by LAMM's lack of effective response to resolve the issue. And this, coming from such a reputable company, can only augur bad things for the company.

I was seriously considering buying a Lamm pre but after reading this, no way... not with such mentality....

Just to put things into perspective here, I have owned a few Lamm components over the years and still cherish my ML2 power amps. I also owned the L2 line stage for a number of years. On occasion, the line stage and amps needed attention. Since I live in the NY area, I was able to deliver the equipment directly to Lamm. It was repaired quickly and inexpensively, and each time, the units were checked, cleaned and on occasion re-tubed (with my prior approval).
The chief difficulty with a company like Lamm is that it is a small operation. This has benefits, in that you can get Vlad on the phone but drawbacks if he is occupied. (I guess I like gear from small 'one man' companies, because I own a phono stage from Allnic, which is similarly the product of one man).
I understand working through a dealer if you are not in the immediate area and don't want to get involved in the cost and risk of shipping. (Although the Lamm stuff is packed in serious wooden crates).
I can't directly troubleshoot your problem, since I was using the Lamm linestage with Lamm amps. But, I generally trust Vlad to do the right thing-
and, also understand why, given the size of the company, he prefers that customers work with his dealers.