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In the Forum: Audio Discussions
In the Thread: Initial thoughts about new/old Lamm ML2s
Post Subject: Pulse tamed by "Ribbies"Posted by Paul S on: 12/10/2006
I heard back from Lamms about the relay pulses.  They suggested I bias the amps again and then Lamms went silent when that didn't work.  But the problem disappeared when I got around to replacing the 12AX7s that came with the amps.  I happened to use some NOS ribbed-plate Telefunkens.  These not only cured the pulsing but resulted in astounding improvements to the sound.  Closing in on an hour of operation, the sound field grows - you can literally hear it swelling -  and then "something" "falls back" and voices and instrumental sounds "orgainize" and acquire a certain realistic density within the soundfield that I have never heard before through a hi-fi rig, in 40 years of futzing with this stuff.  Bass is now much more "of-a-piece", and there is every reason to believe that this combination of speakers and amp are capable of better.  I have for short spells gotten better upper bass from these speakers with the Wrights, so I think it's safe to deduce that the ML2s can better that, as I get things better arranged.  Each tube has a job to do, and I am now fairly confident that just replacing the tubes sent to me with the amps will make big improvements.  6N6Ps are next, if I can find some good ones, since I have no way of testing the "bulk" stuff generally offered.  Of course, Lamm remains an option, and I am pleased with the V2 tubes he sent me; expensive, but at least they are as advertised.

Yes, you are so right about people themselves making the biggest difference in their hi-fi results.  How many times have we heard a pile of the "top" gear making un-Godly noise?  It seems there must be a sort of tension between a purposeful going-forward and a readiness/willingness to yield to the right things when we encounter them.  And even though live music and hi-fi are certainly two different things, I have no interest in hi-fi that does not render certain musical traits fairly faithfully.  Like you, I can listen to the radio.  But that does not feed the same part of me that live music feeds, and my hi-fi actually does make a fair substitute, in addition to allowing me to hear amazing performances that now only exist as recordings.  That is what I am after with hi-fi: to get as much of an art/music fix as possible, and I just do not tire of some phenomenal performances, at least not with so many records to choose from, in addition to live concerts.

It would be nice if we could count on people to live up to our own versions of the claims they make for their products, or they could even live up to their own claims, for that matter.  But I have finally resorted to some hybrid form of intuition and voodoo to try to navigate through all the over-hyped, over-spec'd crap.  Too bad there is no way to guarantee that even the "best" gear won't wind up mis-used, apart from having a pretty good idea where we are and where we're trying to go.

Meanwhile, I have to say that a lot of amp makers out their owe it to themselves (and their buyers) to at least give the ML2s a serious listen and then factor the experience into their own thinking.  At any rate, I know of no other way to hear what this puppy can do, since I've heard no other examples, ever, and what this puppy can do should be a major factor in amp design and performance from here on out, IMO.

Best regards,
Paul S

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