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Leben. Thinking something drastic here.

When I get some time off soon, I'd love to have another Chicago-Area Get Together. Perhaps we can get Mike to come with his hot rodded MkIIIs again. I'm thinking mid to late January.

I'm committing. More later.

Has Sabah picked a name yet? Inquiring minds want to know.
 
BrokenHill said:
That is a very nice little EL84 tube integrated amplifier, I was looking at the pictures
of the underside of the amp at > http://lebenhifi.com/products/cs300xs.html
and I really like the way the manufacture built the unit, keeping it simple helps for a
better soundstage.
Those 15 watts from a EL84 PP tube amp can be a wonderful and most pleasurable
experience.:thmbsp:
Click to expand...

The soundstage is surprising...I've assembled most of my gear based on a love of a big open soundstage, and this thing, with the Sony SS-m7s (soundstage champs regardless), presents one of the best I've heard.

Robie said:
When I get some time off soon, I'd love to have another Chicago-Area Get Together. Perhaps we can get Mike to come with his hot rodded MkIIIs again. I'm thinking mid to late January.

I'm committing. More later.

Has Sabah picked a name yet? Inquiring minds want to know.
Click to expand...

No name picked yet. She hasn't been over since I got it, we're both so busy with work. I'm gone at some point mid-January for another LA trip (going out tomorrow, too, for a week). I think I'm gone from the 11th to the 15th or so. Something like that. I missed the last one because I was somewhere else, too :(
 
Robie said:
When I get some time off soon, I'd love to have another Chicago-Area Get Together. Perhaps we can get Mike to come with his hot rodded MkIIIs again. I'm thinking mid to late January.

I'm committing. More later.

Has Sabah picked a name yet? Inquiring minds want to know.
Click to expand...

I have a modded Magnavox 9304 I could bring too, for the "cheap amp" option. :D

Uses a quad of EL-84 for about 12 wpc
 
JohnVF said:
No name picked yet. She hasn't been over since I got it, we're both so busy with work.(
Click to expand...

Is she a fan of Goodfellas? If that thing was in my house, I'd be calling it Pesci. Not that I name my audio gear. I save that for my vehicles.:D
 
Awesome news John, congrats. Been away fro AK for a few days, nice to pop back in and see that the Leben appears to be everything you'd hoped. A little surprised tht you found the new amp bright on the C7's, but it sounds like you're in heaven based on recombine with other gear. keep us posted.

And refresh my memory, please...is this a used Leben? Asking from the standpoint of whether or not it's already broken in.
 
writethis said:
Awesome news John, congrats. Been away fro AK for a few days, nice to pop back in and see that the Leben appears to be everything you'd hoped. A little surprised tht you found the new amp bright on the C7's, but it sounds like you're in heaven based on recombine with other gear. keep us posted.

And refresh my memory, please...is this a used Leben? Asking from the standpoint of whether or not it's already broken in.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is a used CS-300xs. The brightness could be a number of things, from the CD player I was using to the room to the stand height, which I've not yet gotten right on the Harbeths.
the_nines said:
Enjoy!

Congrats!
Click to expand...

Thanks. It makes me just want two systems...both Leben.
 
Have had some more time, finally, to put this little amp through its paces.

So far my least favorite speakers on it..are the Harbeths. But I'm not really surprised by that. It sounds wonderful- absolutely wonderful- on the Sony SS-m7s. Which was a big surprise. Tonight I put it on the Cabasse M2s. I think this just might be the match- different than the Sony. A slightly smaller soundstage (it was huge on the Sony's, the best I've heard them image) but man is little amp agile/dynamic. The higher efficiency of the Cabasse speakers is apparent- the amp isn't straining at all.

I'm playing Big Star's "Keep an eye on the sky" box set- I've not heard Alex Chilton sound this good, and I've seen him in person.

So to answer the original question posed in the first post of this thread- I could live with this, and not feel like I'm missing anything. I don't think its a magic pill-- it needed the right speakers, and I still feel that amplification is just a conduit for a good source. But as I'm sitting here listening to the Marantz SA-11s2 play into the Leben, though the Cabasse Sloop M2s, I wonder what else anybody would really need than this? Anything more is just experimenting- this is the sound I started out looking for in this hobby.
 
JohnVF said:
... this is the sound I started out looking for in this hobby.
Click to expand...

Congrats, but keep in mind that your sound goal has been changing as your ears became more trained, and that process is still going on.

Besides, sooner or later you'll realize that the little amp just doesn't have quite the oomf of its big brother, and it'll be upgrade time again. Resistance is futile. You have been assimilated. :D
 
I'm not surprised at all, John. Not the right match. Harbeth's need more grunt in my opinion. Knowing what I know about your preferences Harbeth's and especially the C7's may not be made with the same sonic values. You value air and a large 3D soundstage. Those are two things that I care very little about and I love the Harbeth's even with my NAD's.

Enjoy that Leben, looks great on your cabinet!
 
I tnink it might be time for you to audition some DeVore's, John...why not...you know you want to:scratch2::D.
 
Art K. said:
I tnink it might be time for you to audition some DeVore's, John...why not...you know you want to:scratch2::D.
Click to expand...

You know I want to...its just a matter of finding the right place, and time to do so.

I like the Harbeths a lot, they're just not the best match for the Leben. The sound seems trapped in the box, and they sound, well, boxy- which they don't with more power behind them. They sound surprisingly good on the big Levinson with the Klyne preamp. I've heard the Compact 7s sound exactly like I want them on Naim separates. What the Klyne adds is a load of dynamic expression that was missing with the McCormack, while sounding as natural. Nothing beats the Harbeths when they are well-paired with gear, for sounding like real instruments. Alan Shaw nailed the ability of those speakers to correctly communicate the timbre of acoustic instruments.

All that said, either the Leben/Cabasse or Leben/Sony combination is fantastic. I haven't been listening to my living room system in a long time, and now I can't get off the couch. The Cabasses are still in, sounding very good. Their efficiency is good, and that big woofer is finally making some bass.
 
Negotiableterms said:
Congrats, but keep in mind that your sound goal has been changing as your ears became more trained, and that process is still going on.

Besides, sooner or later you'll realize that the little amp just doesn't have quite the oomf of its big brother, and it'll be upgrade time again. Resistance is futile. You have been assimilated. :D
Click to expand...

Well, I did say that I was open to having two systems...

But instead of getting the big one, I bought a pair of more efficient speakers. It was ultimately the better solution for right now - plus I think I like the sound of an EL-84 amp better than EL-34. Liquid midrange.

My ear has become more trained to things, that is for sure. I'm not sure what all I haven't heard. Except, well, SET- but I'm afraid of getting caught in that net. Because I know I won't get out. But these Cabasse speakers are actually efficient enough if I wanted to put my toes in the water...wait! Wasn't this whole process about getting off the gear merry-go-round?

At least I've begun to sell some gear.
 
The cats must be happy as hell,......." jeeze this sounds good doesn't it,..... but sure as hell he'll be screwing around with in a few weeks or so,...... just when your ears get accustomed to the new sh't he changes it!.....it always sound good but yet he has to mess with it....what's with that???"

Couldn't resist a little poke.
 
Doc Zinger said:
The cats must be happy as hell,......." jeeze this sounds good doesn't it,..... but sure as hell he'll be screwing around with in a few weeks or so,...... just when your ears get accustomed to the new sh't he changes it!.....it always sound good but yet he has to mess with it....what's with that???"

Couldn't resist a little poke.
Click to expand...

Aw, they're happy as can be. My fat-cat (25lb tabby) is thrilled about this hobby, as I think he'd rather do nothing more than sit beside me listening to music. He's decided that beside me isn't quite good enough, actually, as I think he wants the sweet-spot, too and so he gets in my lap. That's a lot of cat.

The Quads kind of freak them out. They start looking for where certain sounds are coming from or get startled because they think the sound of something is in the room. Which is a good sign that those are my best speakers.
 
Good to hear, like I said in another thread it's hard to BS a cat, they know what they like and don't and don't worry about letting you know it.

Some people say wouldn't it be great if they could talk, bad idea for the cat and human. The human couldn't take if for long and the cat might not survive long either. Think we're both better off trying to figure each other out, although the cat doesn't put much effort into this unlike a dog.
 
I got pretty lucky with these cats. They act like dogs. They're brother and sister, from the same litter, and have been a pair-bond since birth, through foster care for 3 years (taken from a crack dealer who went to jail while kittens), and then into my home for the last 5 years. Harry, the large one, is always by my side and never aloof. His kitten-like sister is a fan of opera and is usually off playing with her toys until bedtime. They're fantastic pets, as attentive as dogs, but a better fit for my my work life, which requires me being away a lot.

If I had to take the cats or the Leben, I'd most certainly take the cats.

Do you have cats or dogs? Both?

Harry with the Quads in the background. As I was typing this he woke up from a dream growling.
IMG_2144.jpg
 
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