JaideepGiridhar
Active Member
I gravitated toward tubes three amps ago and this is my first Class A SET rig. The other two amps I use are a PrimaLuna Dialog Premium (I switch between EL34s and KT88s as the music demands, and use it mostly as a power amp) and PS Audio BHK Signature stack (this uses tubes on the input stage in both pre (which feeds the PL) and power amps). The LM is something else. It doesn't retrieve as much detail as the PS Audio or present the dynamics of the PL, but it is one of the most musical amps I've heard. The three albums that did it for me (so far) were Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations (1981 remaster), T-Bone Walker's Very Rare (1974) and Sarah Hanahan's Among Giants (2024); all streamed on Qobuz. The LM is butter, jam and toast. It does bass particularly well, throws a wide soundstage and makes you sit up at odd moments. The two control mechanisms that surprised me were the ALPS potentiometer and the Negative Feedback knob. The first shows off why volume control really matters and the second is a handy tool if certain albums need slight pruning of gain (although zero negative feedback works best for almost everything I play, being as it is close to the original recording). Power supply has made a big difference, of course - I use an LHY Audio PSU with my streamer and an Inakustik 3500 for the rest of it; both have wiped the window sparkling clean.