Natural Sound

[ddk]

I have read that some of the Lamm gear has a somewhat "dark" character...does that also apply to the ML2 but it doesn't matter or is that just for some other models (Lamm ML1 was often described this way). What is your impression on the Vitavox? Also, what is the crossover frequency from the woofer to the horn?

Lamm electronics aren’t hyped in frequency extremes like most other electronics and given their extreme resolution they will show up deficiencies of the rest of the system so proper setup is essential. There’s no fake air with Lamm so people aren’t used to this and/or their systems are heavily tuned with colored cables, footers, power cord, racks, conditioners etc., Lamm gear will work best in a minimalist setup, nothing dark or rolled off in their over all sound.

david

 

[morricab]

Yep you should have the original S2 and the AK151 - both fab drivers and used in the Vox Olympian by the way....

Yes, that was also why I was asking...I still think the Vox Olympian/ Elyssium is the best speaker system I have heard. This Vitavox was on my radar for a long time as is the JBL Hartsfield, although that one seems to need the super tweeter as the 375 mid driver doesn't go much above 10Khz.

 

[Bobvin]

I’ve never heard the Lamm gear but reviews and reports have me wondering how it might pair with the Diesis Roma being built for me? Particularly the ML2 SET amps.

 

[morricab]

Yes, that was also why I was asking...I still think the Vox Olympian/ Elyssium is the best speaker system I have heard. This Vitavox was on my radar for a long time as is the JBL Hartsfield, although that one seems to need the super tweeter as the 375 mid driver doesn't go much above 10Khz.

I haven't pulled the trigger on one or the other due to space...suffice to say I am impressed with the speaker choice.

 

[KeithR]

I have read that some of the Lamm gear has a somewhat "dark" character...does that also apply to the ML2 but it doesn't matter or is that just for some other models (Lamm ML1 was often described this way).

one reason they were paired well with bright Wilsons back in the day

 

[PeterA]

one reason they were paired well with bright Wilsons back in the day

Keith, do you consider Steve Williams' Wilson speakers to be "bright"? He has a full Lamm chain driving them. Have you heard his system? I ask because my friend @ack does not like anything "dark" sounding and he was very impressed with the sound of Steve's system.

 

[PeterA]

I see power tools there. Are you doing some stainless polishing? The stainless platforms under your Micro Seiki look fantastic.

Yes indeed. I have been polishing steel plates for weeks it seems. Each plate requires about seven hours of grinding to remove the machining marks, and then another two or three hours of finer polishing with light pads and oil as the final step. I have nine plates in total. Yikes.

 

[jeff1225]

Yes, that was also why I was asking...I still think the Vox Olympian/ Elyssium is the best speaker system I have heard. This Vitavox was on my radar for a long time as is the JBL Hartsfield, although that one seems to need the super tweeter as the 375 mid driver doesn't go much above 10Khz.

Classic Audio Reproductions builds a very nice Hartsfield reproduction with original drivers but he adds a super tweeter.

 

[jeff1225]

Did you go back to your Lamms or did you stick with the First Watt SIT-3?

My Lamm amps are in for repair. I haven't had a chance to compare the two. I absolutely love the SIT3, it pairs well with my Lamm preamps and drives the JBL's well. I'm lucky I found this amp while my Lamm's are being repaired.

 

[morricab]

Classic Audio Reproductions builds a very nice Hartsfield reproduction with original drivers but he adds a super tweeter.

The later originals had a super tweeter too

 

[ack]

Peter, looking forward to reading more about your new adventure! Enjoy this new system in good health.

 

[tima]

I have read that some of the Lamm gear has a somewhat "dark" character...does that also apply to the ML2 but it doesn't matter or is that just for some other models (Lamm ML1 was often described this way).

I've gone round n round with myself over the 'dark' characterization. I agree that some will use that word upon first hearing Lamm gear and I can understand that as a first reaction. But the more I thought about it the more I've concluded that 'dark' is not entirely apt.

Sometimes when puzzling over word choice I consider the antonym - does the opposite make sense in terms of what I'm trying to convey?

Here's what I wrote of the M1.2 in my 2015 review:

Some find the overall sound of the M1.2 as slightly dark; and by contrast with certain amps there is that relative difference. I found the M1.2s sounding whole within themselves, and from the perspective of their overall presentation, music teemed with harmonic information, with the antonym of their tonality being not light but lean. Overall frequency balance lacked discontinuity; there was no coming forward or peakiness from the likes of sopranos or trumpets, and no midbass enhancement.

 

[Mdp632]

@PeterA

What brand if any are you using in your new natural sound system? Specifically, speaker cables and interconnects.

 

[tima]

Tim, I grew up in the Mid West and studied Frank Lloyd Wright in school. I saw some of his drawings for a house design for Ayn Rand which is little discussed. There was some speculation about us students who read "The Fountainhead", that Frank was living up to his reputation with the ladies. Howard Roark was clearly a reference to him, or so the character seemed to us at the time.

Take me to Falling Water any time. I once visited and was struck by how small the rooms and low the ceilings actually are. He was a short man. He played with and eventually eliminated solid corners in many of his buildings. That might present an issue for these corner horns. He wrote that one should never build a house on the top of a hill: it ruins the view and the beauty of the hill. As lovely as these speakers are, I would not want them placed into one of his corner windows obstructing a gorgeous view.

A bit off topic, but I could see these speakers too in one of Louis Kahn's building. Just ahead of Wright, he is my favorite American architect. He joined the Yale staff in 1947 a year before the first Vitavoxs were being made. A few years later he designed the iconic Yale University Art Gallery. He too eliminated the corners and fittingly, these speakers don't have solid corners either. I would love to see these walnut speakers in one of his concrete interiors, though they were likely designed for woody, clubby, library-type British interiors.

Thanks for that, Peter. I was not an architecture student nor am I well-versed in it but when I moved to the MidWest from the DC-to-Boston east-coast metroplex where I grew up, and after having lived in Colonial Williamsburg for several years, I fell in love with Wright's design.

Several of Wright's right-angled corners are done with glass. I don't know how the Vitavox would respond in glass corners, maybe not optimal. He designed some very large structures with curves (Guggenheim, S.C. Johnson, Arizona State) though I tend to associate him with a more angular prarie-school style, at least in his home design, of which my locale has a few. (I live about 45 minutes from Taliesen.) Guess I was thinking more of Wright's use of wood and a general 'feel' for his sometimes organic approach and general sense of integration, then how the Vitavox integrated themselves into corners.

Interiors

 

[PeterA]

@PeterA

What brand if any are you using in your new natural sound system? Specifically, speaker cables and interconnects.

all cabling is DIY. Speaker cables and one pair of interconnects are from David Karmeli. I’m using the stock SME phono cables for the tonearms and for the 22 foot interconnect from preamp to amps A custom cable from an electrical engineer friend of mine.

 

[cal3713]

Great thread. As I mentioned elsewhere, I'm considering a move to Panama and have been looking into corner horns as a possible solution for the common room types down there. Very happy to read about how successful they've been for you Peter. Congrats.

 

[morricab]

Thanks for that, Peter. I was not an architecture student nor am I well-versed in it but when I moved to the MidWest from the DC-to-Boston east-coast metroplex where I grew up, and after having lived in Colonial Williamsburg for several years, I fell in love with Wright's design.

Several of Wright's right-angled corners are done with glass. I don't know how the Vitavox would respond in glass corners, maybe not optimal. He designed some very large structures with curves (Guggenheim, S.C. Johnson, Arizona State) though I tend to associate him with a more angular prarie-school style, at least in his home design, of which my locale has a few. (I live about 45 minutes from Taliesen.) Guess I was thinking more of Wright's use of wood and a general 'feel' for his sometimes organic approach and general sense of integration, then how the Vitavox integrated themselves into corners.

Interiors

Ehh, I just like how the thing looks...and probably sounds...

 

[Ron Resnick]

I’ve never heard the Lamm gear but reviews and reports have me wondering how it might pair with the Diesis Roma being built for me? Particularly the ML2 SET amps.

For every high sensitivity horn speaker amplifier question, my answer always is Viva Aurora, Absolare SET and Lamm SET.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I wonder if what one considers "dark" is simply because it is not as "bright" as some other gear. Thinking back to what I have heard over the hears in my system and in others, I find the Lamm more neutral now, and much other gear, somewhat "bright" on reflection.

+1

 

[tima]

Ehh, I just like how the thing looks...and probably sounds...

I think they are gorgeous, up there with the Hartsfields in looks - at least to me. I found them evocative of some of Wright's interiors, hence the tangent. A modern steel and glass interior - even with a great view - does not, imo, suit them.