Amp/Preamp Asylum: REVIEW: Lamm Industries LP2 Deluxe Phono Preamp by Stitch

Model:	LP2 Deluxe
Category:	Phono Preamp
Suggested Retail Price:	$ 7295
Description:	Phono Preamp
Manufacturer URL:	Lamm Industries
Model Picture:	View

Review by Stitch on March 15, 2010 at 08:00:49
IP Address: 84.156.62.82 Add Your Review
for the LP2 Deluxe

LAMM LP2
well, some words first for explanation, I bought the unit some years ago after I received a Lamm LL2 and after listening to it, I sold my Aesthetix Callisto 2 days later. I was fascinated, that a unit in that pricerange does so many things different (Tonality) that I gave the LP2 a try.
I love nothing in High End, I look for units which can do the real thing and those are indeed a bit special.

Regarding LP2 and other Lamm products, the best way I can describe them is that they are the closest thing to natural music reproduction in the high end scene. One of the things you'll recognize with the LP2 (after break-in) is the total lack of any mechanical artifact present in almost every other phono stage that I've tried. A real breakthrough. The back grounds are rich with information from the recording venue unlike any other phono amps that are either just synthetically black or have some kind of tube or transistor noise. The sound flows with the LP2 unlike anything else that I've heard.
Most chop up the music the music or affect the balance between instruments.

This is an important factor when listening to music. Quite often High End equipment produce all instruments and voices in the same level, this is something no reviewer writes about.
There is always a delicate Balance between different instruments in an orchestra, even in duo this balance is highly sophisticated and important.
You go to any classical concert, depending on the music, for example a piano and a singer, the beauty and delicacy of the piece has to do with the interplay of the piano and voice, You'll loose everything if they are reproduced by the same level by your electronics. Then there are all the nuances of the voice and the fingering technique of the pianist, if accomplished, add to this delicate situation, Lamm electronics are the only high end products that I know of today that reproduce this sophisticated level of information faithfully without adding their own signature. Of course you'll hear all this if the rest of your system is up to scratch.
I used it with a lot of cartridges (see below) and the LP2 is one of those rare pieces of audio that defies being broken down into parts. Or when you want to read about it, there are some reviews at the Lamm website about that.
It#s a waste of time to write about how it sounds in the midrange, bass or treble.
That is not what you notice at all with that Phono Stage. It makes you to want to clap, tap, sing along. It is one of those rare pieces of gear that plays the truth.
The unit can be improved from performance with NOS Tubes, better RCA plugs or even when you want higher gain, it is possible to replace the Transformers. But this is another story.

All magazines talk about artifacts like deep bass, deep soundstage, low coloration etc. etc. but never discuss how a piece of electronics adds its own signature be reinterpreting the recording.
That's why equipment becomes boring after a while and people take to buying tweaks, like stupidly expensive power cords and cables, footers, roller balls, power conditioners and all kinds of other junk and when that is done, they'll go to Audiogon, change their equipment and start the cycle all over again when the novelty of new is worn out.
I always avoid to play „this game“ and every record is a trip into a time which is History now.

Like I say "God is in the details" (ok, it was Mies van der Rohe, a Designer)

Compared with following
Phonostages:
Aesthetix „Rhea“, „IO“
AMR
Evans Groove+
Pass XONO
Klyne 7 Phono
Tron Seven

Cartridges:
Fidelity Research 7fz
Lyra Skala / Helikon / Titan i / Olympos
Takeda Miyabi Standard
Transfiguration Temper
Zyx UNIverse

Specifications
All the measurements were taken with the 41kohm load connected to the pre-amplifier's output
Rated Output Voltage F = 1 KHz: MM input to output 0.125 Volts RMS MC input to output 0.125 Volts RMS
Voltage Gain F = 1 KHz: MM input to output 75.5 ± 2% or 37.65 ± 0.2dB MC input to output 750 ± 2% or 57. 5 ± 0.2dB
RIAA Accuracy from 20Hz to 20kHz: better than + 0.0dB/-0.5dB
Total Harmonic Distortion from 20Hz-20KHz; RIAA de-emphasis: no more than 0.1%
IM Distortion (60Hz:7KHz 4:1) SMPTE; RIAA de-emphasis: no more than 0.1%
Inputs: Gold plated RCA
Signal-To-Noise: Better than 83dB

Product Weakness:	none
Product Strengths:	The total lack of any mechanical artifact present in almost every other phono stage

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Pass Aleph 0
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Lamm LL2
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Basis Debut
Speakers: Reference 3A
Cables/Interconnects: Audioquest Sky
Music Used (Genre/Selections): RCA LSC/Decca SXL
Room Comments/Treatments: done
Time Period/Length of Audition: 5 years
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Pass Aleph 0
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Lamm LL2
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Basis Debut
Speakers:	Reference 3A
Cables/Interconnects:	Audioquest Sky
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	RCA LSC/Decca SXL
Room Comments/Treatments:	done
Time Period/Length of Audition:	5 years
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner