The All Analog, All Lamm, PBN M2!5 System of JeffreyT

[jeff1225]

Jeffrey, thank you. I think, your comment about WA is spot on
I wonder why @KeithR has not included PBN in his shortlist of speakers.

How big is the MTM version? Is it the same width and just a bit taller? I’m just afraid my wife will kill me, if order the MTM one.

Keith wants a smaller more elegant speaker I think. The MTM version is taller (1.6M) and wider (.6M). Tell your wife what I tell mine, I could be at a bar/club listening to music with my friends or at home listening with you

 

[PeterA]

Keith wants a smaller more elegant speaker I think. The MTM version is taller (1.6M) and wider (.6M). Tell your wife what I tell mine, I could be at a bar/club listening to music with my friends or at home listening with you

Classic response. I tell my wife there are all sorts of interests middle aged men could have. This one is fairly benign and safe and it usually only involves other men.

I can attest to the excellent sound Jeff gets. His speakers are an incredible value.

 

[jeff1225]

I've been very happy with my system for quite sometime and it's been relatively stable. After visiting my friend Jim's Tannoy system and witnessing a complete transformation in his sound due to improving his power, I've added a PS Audio P10 to my system. It's a revelation.

 

[jeff1225]

 

[jeff1225]

According to the PS Audio, the power coming into my room is 114V and 6.5 THD. After the PS Audio converts the power into DC and then regenerates it to AC, the power is 120V and .5 THD. I have all of my equipment, all with Chang Cheng power cords, going into the PS Audio. What am I hearing? Improved transparency, sound stage and resolution.

Also, I will note that the bias of my Lamm ML1.1's tended to drift every three days and had to be adjusted. With the PS Audio, they are rock solid and never change. @Ron Resnick hear the system with the update and he seemed to like the improvements.

 

[Folsom]

The bias drift disappearing is interesting!

 

[morricab]

According to the PS Audio, the power coming into my room is 114V and 6.5 THD. After the PS Audio converts the power into DC and then regenerates it to AC, the power is 120V and .5 THD. I have all of my equipment, all with Chang Cheng power cords, going into the PS Audio. What am I hearing? Improved transparency, sound stage and resolution.

Also, I will note that the bias of my Lamm ML1.1's tended to drift every three days and had to be adjusted. With the PS Audio, they are rock solid and never change. @Ron Resnick hear the system with the update and he seemed to like the improvements.

We used a P10 at our show back in 2017 and it really cleaned up the sound...hotel power with lots of rooms running is awful. This year we put my Monarchy Audio power regenerator on our Kassandra DAC and that helped a lot in exactly the ways you describe. I have been using super clean power on my sources for a good decade now and really elevated the sound...also good power cables helps a lot.

 

[asiufy]

6.5 incoming THD is a lot. That's what we had in our previous La Jolla location!
The PS Audio was/is a favorite at shows, because while it does constrain dynamics, it's hardly noticeable in a) highly efficient systems like jeffrey's, b) small showrooms/hotel rooms. And in this case, the positives outweight the negatives.
I guess tube amps like the stability, as the bias thing is real. We've used a PS Audio at a show years ago, and the bias in our Audiopax amps was at the exact same spot throughout the whole show. Very handy
Enjoy!

 

[morricab]

6.5 incoming THD is a lot. That's what we had in our previous La Jolla location!
The PS Audio was/is a favorite at shows, because while it does constrain dynamics, it's hardly noticeable in a) highly efficient systems like jeffrey's, b) small showrooms/hotel rooms. And in this case, the positives outweight the negatives.
I guess tube amps like the stability, as the bias thing is real. We've used a PS Audio at a show years ago, and the bias in our Audiopax amps was at the exact same spot throughout the whole show. Very handy
Enjoy!

All amps like stability not just tube ones but you can’t adjust the bias in SS amps. I only use active regeneration on sources, which has no noticeable effect on dynamics...only upsides.

 

[jeff1225]

The bias drift disappearing is interesting!

Yes I thought that it was an interesting phenomenon.

 

[jeff1225]

6.5 incoming THD is a lot. That's what we had in our previous La Jolla location!
The PS Audio was/is a favorite at shows, because while it does constrain dynamics, it's hardly noticeable in a) highly efficient systems like jeffrey's, b) small showrooms/hotel rooms. And in this case, the positives outweight the negatives.
I guess tube amps like the stability, as the bias thing is real. We've used a PS Audio at a show years ago, and the bias in our Audiopax amps was at the exact same spot throughout the whole show. Very handy
Enjoy!

I replaced two Richard Gray 400s'. I can tell you one thing, those units REALLY constrain dynamics. Shocking how bad they were choking my system.

 

[Folsom]

I find adapting power conditioning to be a tough curve to experience. If the power conditioning is good, and not bad, you may find your hierarchy of certain traits in familiar albums will change.

 

[jeff1225]

I find adapting power conditioning to be a tough curve to experience. If the power conditioning is good, and not bad, you may find your hierarchy of certain traits in familiar albums will change.

great point! Since I made this change, I'm listening to a lot more classical music. Although the system had great dynamics for rock and jazz, i think the system lacked the transparency in the upper registers for strings. That changed with the PS Audio/

 

[morricab]

I find adapting power conditioning to be a tough curve to experience. If the power conditioning is good, and not bad, you may find your hierarchy of certain traits in familiar albums will change.

I haven't had much success with conditioning only actual regeneration, which from my trials works very well...at least when used on only low powered (and sensitive) circuits (like DACs and phonostages). I think the regenerator needs to be very large to not constrain dynamics (or the amp to have relatively low consumption/power output) for amps.

 

[Folsom]

While regeneration can be very valuable, I don't preference it. It's not what I'd call the ultimate, but it's the tool you need at times. If it were perfect the power cord going into it would have no effect, but it has an extreme effect! Power conditioning is just as faultable and then some. Almost no one actually does it right, and I'm not make any exclusions for audio based units they're often horrendous.

A regenerator has to be large, has to have a boat load of capacitance to insure that voltage doesn't drop and kill your sound. The smaller your gear is the less size is needed, but regenerators are guilty of many other things that can drop voltage for various reasons for being oversized is the simple man's way out.

 

[jeff1225]

With my Lamm amps out for repair, I borrowed my friend Jim's Canary M800 push/pull monoblocks. I have to say they sound fantastic and pair nicely with the Lamm LL2.1 Deluxe preamp.

 

[MRJAZZ]

View attachment 59911With my Lamm amps out for repair, I borrowed my friend Jim's Canary M800 push/pull monoblocks. I have to say they sound fantastic and pair nicely with the Lamm LL2.1 Deluxe preamp.

Concur......they are excellent overall amps, and especially work well with the PBN M2.5 Symmetrical......and if one changes out the driver tubes to some Shu Guang CV 181 z, they are even better....

 

[jeff1225]

The VDH XWG Stradivarius had become my absolute favorite cartridge for classical music and I’m finding I’m listening to more classical than I ever have .

 

[jeff1225]

Listening to Oistrakh all day today between conference calls and video meetings.

 

[PeterA]

Nice, Jeff. Great photo of the vdH in action. Haven't heard that XWG Strad., but some say it is better than the MS, at least different in a good way. Lucky you. Strings are so nice on these vdHs. Now there is another guy out there buying up classical LPs. Damn!

BTW, how would you describe the sound of this vdH compared to your A95 SPU?