Welcome to the world of Lamm. Makers of the most universally praised high performance audio electronic products in the world. Armed with four patents, Lamm electronics are unique in their ability to maintain, among other things, harmonic distortion in a very narrow range across the entire audio spectrum DESPITE CHANGES IN IMPEDANCE DUE TO FREQUENCY. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
What does that mean to music lovers like us? It means that each musical event’s envelope remains intact from initial transient to final decay while retaining the essential harmonic attributes required for the sustain of each event. It means that you will experience micro-dynamic events like little chimes even as macro-dynamic events like heavy piano strikes take place at the same time by giving each event its own space. It means music will speak to you with one voice with seemingly limitless layers. It means loud or soft each event sounds more real. Put this all together and as you will later see in the compendium of reviews. Lamm gear makes recorded music sound alive.
Meet the members of the Lamm family. Each defined by their use. Each one a contender for world’s best. Other products will be added.
All-Tube Linestage
LL2 Deluxe
Tube Complement:
V101 - 12AU7A (left channel, first amplification stage)
V103 - 6DJ8 (left channel, second amplification stage)
V102 - 12AU7A (right channel, first amplification stage)
V104 - 6DJ8 (right channel, second amplification stage)
V105 - 6X4/6202 (full wave voltage rectifier)
…The involvement level of the LL2 is so intense, so deep, and so much like music that my words end up getting in the way – which, of course, makes writing a review a pretty difficult task
…Most preamps seem to be able to get the jump and leading edge of cymbals right or the shimmer of brass right, but the LL2 gets both so perfectly correct that it really made every other preamp I’ve heard sound mechanical and, well, wrong.
…I often found myself reacting physically to sounds in the soundstage. The LL2 speaks to me more as a musical instrument than as a piece of gear, which is the highest praise I can offer. Todd Warnke, soundstage.com
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…Considering its price point, the LL2 line stage's level of performance is nothing short of sensational. Its blend of tonal neutrality, speed, control, and harmonic purity add up to a sure recipe for musical excellence. It is capable of competing in the highest audiophile arena, while its slight spatial reticence and textural softness are easy to live with. It should readily integrate with a diverse range of systems. The LL2's ability to drive a variety of amps and exotic cables allows it to comfortably slip into an existing system without adverse complications. Let me take this opportunity to raise my glass in a toast: to Lamm Industries and Vladimir Shushurin for a job well done. Cheers! Richard Olsher, enjoythemusic.com
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…The music was so "in the room," it seemed like the speakers were unnecessary bits of furniture which had no part in making music. The Lamm presented music on the upper end of things with bite but no etching, hardness, or silvery cleanliness. Hard to criticize. The midrange, where musical life can be glorious or boring, was magnificent. Timbre was so excellent that it, rather than transients, created the impression of a live event in my room.
…If we were to have Golden Ear Awards or Recommended Component Lists, the Lamm LL2 would be one of my top choices. Larry Cox, positive-feedback.com
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...The LL2...allowed the music-making to sound more human, and more like something was happening in from of me, not just being retold. I remember in particular thinking that the staccato notes at the beginning of the third movement had a great deal more force -- I could feel them -- with the Lamm LL2 in the system...The Lamm gave the sounds of the notes more body, more feel, and especially more movement.
...In terms of its musical and sonic performance, the Lamm LL2 preamplifier doesn't tower over the other high-quality line-level preamplifiers in quite the same way that the Lamm ML2.1 power amplifier seems to tower over its competition. On the other hand, the LL2 is arguably a much better value for money: In relative terms, I've heard more expensive preamps than this, but I've never heard one that performs better; in absolute terms, judged for its musicality, the quality of its parts and construction, and its sheer design ingenuity, the Lamm LL2 is worth every penny they're asking for it. To say it more plainly: $4990 is not at all unreasonable for a preamp this good. Art Dudley, Stereophile
US MSRP $ 4,990