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In Reply to: RE: Lux posted by bcherry on October 04, 2007 at 19:55:28
Thanks for the info.
I guess the big question though, is this better than the ladyday WE91 ? Is there any reason why one would chose one over the other ?
... and that $900 entry point is REALLY tempting !!!
Follow Ups:
Hi Michael
We have done some limited head-to-head comparison between the 91 and Lux. I would characterize it this way: the 91 has its trademark ripe (not over-ripe) singing tone that it is known for. It's hard to beat on that count. Where the Lux excels is the way it 'hangs together' with no smearing or loss of coherence when the music gets loud and complex. That quality makes it sound much more powerful. Thorsten has also suggested we can up the operating points and get ~18w on musical peaks, so we may be able to get even more of that quality. Also the film caps in the power supply really give the Lux an edge in transparency.
Brian
Take control! DIY.
I have the luxury to AB compare the LD WE91 and the Lux in Brian's new office. My impression is the Lux definitely has more drive and punch. The WE91 may excel a little bit in the tone, but not much. Either way, both are excellent choices. Given that the Lux puts out 50% more power, it may be slightly better in driving more difficult loads.
Too bad because I am induling myself in the listening, I got a parking ticket. For those who are not aware like me, the road when Brian's new office is do have cops dishing out parking tickets, so beware.
I would like to try the Lux in my own listening environment.
Raymond
rtsang, I am sorry about your parking ticket.
Thanks a lot for sharing your impression of the Lux as compared to the LD '91. I would really appreciate if you could provide us with some more information about the rest of the system you listened to. I am especially interested in the speakers and the pre-amp.
Thanks and regards,
- josi
The source are Bix with LCR Cole or the Tentabs CD player.
Preamp is the new Django TVC (without remote).
Speakers are some clone of Tannoy built in China.
You have to ask Brian for the details.
I am really looking forward to listening the Lux at home.
Raymond.
Thanks for the information, Raymond. Do you know if Brian sells the Tannoy clones?
Good luck with testing the Lux in your home. Please, do not forget to post your impressions here! Is it correct that you have the Dragonfly speakers? If so, I am really eager to hear your results.
Thanks and regards,
- Joe
Raymond, Sorry to read about the parking ticket. I'll have to research where people park their cars in our area. As I ride my bicycle to work I don't pay attention to this.
We can arrange for you to try out a Lux soon as I get a couple built up units on the shelf.
BTW, we may be the only shop in Hong Kong that allows home trials of our finished kits.
Brian
Take control! DIY.
According to the 'disussion' of the benefits of the design, the newer amp's driver stage should be superior. From the site:> > > choice #1: pentode. offers necessary single stage gain but high output Z. tendency for highs/lows to be bandwidth limited. Clipping: not nice. Sound is delicate, immediate and pleasant 'bouquet of tone'. Fast! and retrieves the finest details as it sweeps the sonic landscape. Can swing the necessary voltage but but don't ask it to lift heavy objects. the DHT needs more muscle.
choice #2: triode. gain-challenged, needs more than one stage. (Hi gain versions sound like solid state). Low output impedance, wide bandwidth, great slam and dynamics. can be used with a grid choke for greater perceived power. Muscular, but lacks the refinement and delicacy of the best pentodes; leaves behind some of the fine details.
choice #3: re-active interstage. pentode on the input. paralleled sections of a triode with a choke loaded cathode. direct couple to the grid of the DHT.
the DHT gets what it likes: lots of swinging volts and iron fist control, even when driving the grid positve. This is Lux.the pentode does what it does best: gives tons of voltage gain driving the undemanding load of the re-active tube interstage. The interstage is loaded only with the following grid and cathode choke so bandwidth approaches DC to light and is sonically neutral, no cap coupling to the DHT. The DHT thinks the choke of the interstage is it's very own grid choke. And we still have our pentode! < < <
Seems Thorsten, after many years of arguing (in a technical sense) that single-stage drivers were the way to go, has perhaps changed his views. Or perhaps the discussion on the site refers to tubes that are readily available and of low cost to fit a price-point, rather than in the absolutes that it implies?
Anyhow, I can imagine the amp is a fine performer and will be suited to many a music-lover's tastes and systems - and is available at what seems a nice price.
Cheers
RaymondEdit: Minor changes to improve intelligibility.
Hi Raymond
Thanks for commenting. Thorsten has, surprisingly, answered for himself.
For me, I don't think there are absolutes, just different solutions, each with their own set of efficiencies.
I guess a single tube spud amp would be the ultimate in direct sound but very limited otherwise. Next would be a single high gain triode or pentode to drive the power tube, with all the oft-discussed challenges to implement each with its own tradeoff. Most common is the dual triode 6SN7/6SL7 etc which is really two stages in one bottle and these can sound very good as well but it's a balancing act of gain vs drive. The Lux parallels the two halves of the 5687 in the gain-neural interstage so it acts like one tube, and with a little circuit trickery, dispenses with the coupling cap that would normally be on the grid of the 300b, as well the choke adds the turbocharging effect Thorsten describes. Subjectively the package is very transparent and direct sounding.
My descriptions were just an attempt to put into words what i hear subjectively together with Thorsten's explanation of what happens in the circuit.
The beauty AND the beast.
Regards
Brian
Take control! DIY.
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