Amp/Preamp Asylum: REVIEW: Lamm Industries M1.2 Reference Amplifier (SS) by Stitch

Model:	M1.2 Reference
Category:	Amplifier (SS)
Suggested Retail Price:	$ 23890,--
Description:	HYBRID POWER AMPLIFIER
Manufacturer URL:	Lamm Industries
Model Picture:	View

Review by Stitch on April 28, 2012 at 09:02:28
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for the M1.2 Reference

It is black. And heavy. And it is a Amp which has the Status „Reference“. Well, to make a very long Story short, the Status, it is true, indeed. It is a Hybrid Design with 1 Tube (6922 Triode tube), maybe it makes the difference, who knows. What strikes the Listener after the warm up is a total different kind of the tonal color compared to other Transistor Designs. This thing simply sounds different. It gets all of these little details right from the sonic structure and tonal differences.
The amp can be matched to the connected Speaker, at the rear is a switch where you can choose the load, 1-6Ω or 8-16Ω, when your Speaker is in between, don‘t worry, listen to each setting and choose the one you like best. There is definetly a sonic difference between these, but it depends on your X-Over and Speaker in general. It is pure Class A, healthy, stable and like I wrote, not as dead or clinical as most other similar Designs.

My prior Listening is back to the Time where RCA Living Stereo was recordes, Mercury Living Presence or Decca, Londons...mostly Classic ballett music, very dynamic, complicated from Soundstage, Staging, lots of different Instruments, good channel Separation and Speaker Chassis are neccessary to get it....
Most audiophiles are looking for Artifacts like more Bass, Black background, deeper Soundstage and so on...I can‘t comment that (it would be easy to support that but I don‘t like these kind of ,descriptions‘..) but what you can hear immediately is, there is something totally different going in in front of you. Music. Being a visitor IN that recorded Performance (will not work with Rap, HipHop or similar, sorry)...Clear Emotion?
It breathes life into the Performance, it combines technical expertise with emotional intensity, delivery lightning strikes of deep, fast, ultratight Bass (my listening tools are 8Ω, 93dB, simple X-over speakers ... Easy to go speakers) and a remarkable expression of bloom and air with no loss of detail or control. The impression of „liquid-sounding“ will come to new life, yes, in a way, the rightness of the musical flow is indeed obvious.
I am careful with the word ,musicality‘ because this word is used too much from inferior or wrong sounding units, but when your software is one of the better recordings, you are indeed a part of a timeshift. The Sound is faultless in every area of Performance, Soundstaging, Imaging, dynamics, harmonics (this here is key), frequency extension, solidity, outstanding transient speed, Clarity...you name it.

Maybe this amp will get some limits with inefficient speakers, can‘t say, don‘t have such. Speakers can make life pretty easy and allow the connected amp to shine. Some don‘t (bad design) and a few are indeed able to tell the Listener some total new stories with uncanny humanness and realism. This amp is one of those. It has its own ability to respond to a signal, amplify it and going out of its way. I replaced the stock tube with Amperex, very nice improvement, finally I landed with Telefunken from 1970... Linear, straight, clean, quiet.

Probably I can write their abilities in one Sentence:
There is something which makes you refuse to shut them off.
Or, it makes you almost forget that you are listening to recordings...

Description:

Hybrid monoblock power amplifier with solid-state input stage, tubed driver stage, MOSFET output stage, comprehensive short-circuit protection, and high- and low-impedance bias settings. Tube complement: one 6922. Inputs: balanced on XLR with pin 2 wired hot; 2 single-ended on RCA connectors in parallel with pins 2 and 3 of XLR; 12V trigger. Outputs: 2 sets brass, gold-plated binding posts. Rated output power, high-impedance setting (minimum continuous sinewave power, 20Hz–20kHz): 110W into 8 ohms (20.4dBW) at <0.3% THD, 220W into 4 ohms (20.4dBW) at <0.5% THD, 400W into 2 ohms (20dBW) at <1% THD, 600W into 1 ohm (18.75dBW). Rated output power, low-impedance setting (minimum continuous sinewave power, 20Hz–20kHz): 110W into 4 ohms (17.4dBW) at <0.5% THD, 220W into 2 ohms (17.4dBW) at <1% THD, 400W into 1 ohm (17dBW). Frequency responses: 4Hz–155kHz, +0/–3dB (high-impedance setting at 110W into 8 ohms at rated line voltage); 4Hz–155kHz, +0/–3dB (low-impedance setting at 110W into 4 ohms at rated line voltage). Voltage gain: 39 ±2% or 31.8dB ±0.2dB. Signal/noise (ref. 29.7V RMS into 8 ohms [110 W], 22Hz–22kHz): typically 89dB, typically 96dB A-weighted. Input sensitivity: 761mV RMS ±2% for 110W into 8 ohms (high-impedance setting); 538mV RMS ±2% for 220W into 2 ohms (low-impedance setting). Input impedance: 41k ohms shunted by 470pF. Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz): typically 0.082 ohm, +0.007/–0.002 ohm. Power consumption: Typically 330W at rated output at 8 (4) ohms (class-A operation) and at idle. Dimensions: 17" (432mm) W by 8.25" (210mm) H by 19.5" (495mm) D. Add 2.8" (714mm) D for front and rear handles. Weight: 68.5 lbs (31kg) net, 94 lbs (42.7kg) shipping. Price: $23,890/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 15. Manufacturer: Lamm Industries, Inc., 2513 E. 21st Street, Brooklyn, NY 11235. Tel: (718) 368-0181. Fax: (718) 368-0140. Web: www.lammindustries.com.

Product Weakness:	None
Product Strengths:	Harmonic Completeness

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: ML2,1
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): LL2.1
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Emmlabs / Micro Seiki 5000 FR-64s Ikeda Cartridge
Speakers: Reference 3A
Cables/Interconnects: Audioquest Sky
Music Used (Genre/Selections): The Royal Ballet LDS-6065 / Walton Facade LSC-2285
Room Comments/Treatments: Done
Time Period/Length of Audition: 4 Months
Type of Audition/Review: Home Audition

Amplifier:	ML2,1
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	LL2.1
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Emmlabs / Micro Seiki 5000 FR-64s Ikeda Cartridge
Speakers:	Reference 3A
Cables/Interconnects:	Audioquest Sky
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	The Royal Ballet LDS-6065 / Walton Facade LSC-2285
Room Comments/Treatments:	Done
Time Period/Length of Audition:	4 Months
Type of Audition/Review:	Home Audition