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In the Forum: Audio Discussions
In the Thread: Initial thoughts about new/old Lamm ML2s
Post Subject: The “blending integrity” vs. “dynamic viscosity” .Posted by Romy the Cat on: 11/25/2006

Paul,

I re-mapped your post to your older thread; I hope you do not mind…

Anyhow, I find absolutely nothing in the older ML2’ sound related to L1/L2 “X-Factor”. As I suggested in the second post of the flowing thread:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/TreeItem.aspx?postID=257

the L1/L2 are most likely use pro-audio tricks of “spatial expanders”. Sonically it manifests itself in unique pattern of “phasing of sound” – very beneficial and very desirable. In my years that I spent with ML2 I did not detect any “X-Factor” coming form this amp. It is also important to understand that the “X-Factor” is not something “nameless” but the very specific and vet well-defined sonic characteristic. One again, this characteristic is not belong ML2 but belong the Lamm’s L1/L2.

The most distinctive characteristic of older ML2 for me was its absolutely unique ability to demonstrate very “odd” but valuable integrity of “blending of tones dynamically”. There are not other amps out there that did it so fascinatingly. It is ironic any of tube rolling that you are trying now is not able to affect the ML2’s “dynamic tone blending”. The tubes will change the tonal balance and many other things but not the tonal blending. Even the Super Melquiades does not demonstrate that “blending integrity” in its HF channel (in bass and MF it is tine). Howevever, the Super Melquiades has different thing: the gass-biased 6E5P “dynamic viscosity” that in many instances overrides ML2 “blending integrity”. The “blending integrity” and the “dynamic viscosity” have different effects and I spent a LOT of time thinking if the “blending integrity” of ML2 is worth to be replaced by the “dynamic viscosity” of Milq's HF. I agreed to close my eyes to many other Melquiades’ advantages over ML2 if I conclude that ML2 “blending integrity” was worth to stuck with…

I thought that the ML2’s “blending integrity” comes for the fact that Vladimir regulated the output plats voltages. In many instances it should not be a big deal, or even to be a deterrence (dynamic is got eaten with regulation) but in case of 6C33C I heard from two other none-confirmed sources that it “might” work differently. I did regulate the 6C33C in Melquiades. I did not use 6C33C as a regulator but a set of three 807 tubes. I clearly preferred the non-regulated 6C33C built the Melquiades and ML2 have PS implemented at very different levels so I figured that non-regulated 6C33C is a way to go. There were then some thought that it might be the modulations of a full-range he amps make different but in the Super Melquiades I have some “tricks” that handle it. After all I decided that the key is in the transformer.

You see, no mater how minor delta between “blending” in my older ML2 and my new amps the delta did not exist when I used a full-range Melquiades. So, I consulted that the “blending” issues might take places because I used too “fast” transformers for Super Melquiades HF channels. Sometimes I plan to try other output transformers in there, the project that always was intended

Anyhow, as you see, even after a few years, still there is something things that ML2 can teach….

The caT

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