Does anyone use Lamm M1.1's in their system now?

SETs are very, very nice for the right speaker and there are a variety of designs (including the LAMM ML2) and tubes to chose from: 6C33C, 300B, 845, 2A3 etc. If your speaker can be driven by a SET the sound is very hard to beat.

But if your speaker is not both easy to drive and efficient, or you like hard-driving rock&roll, techno or other similar types of music, then a SET is (usually, there are exceptions) not the answer.

This is where solidstate and, in this case, a hybrid like the M1.1 (now M1.2, and also the M2.1 which is now the M2.2) becomes a necessity.

We have only heard the M2.1, and only for a week or so under controlled circumstances. During that time we were surprised at how good it was, with the VERY subtle deficencies as also heard by Tpsonic above. The midrange was startlingly real, the bass full and rich (in an almost tube-ish manner), the highs sweet and extended (minus the slightest bit of air), lots of drama and good imaging and soundstaging (but without the extreme levels of midrange detail of solidstate or SETs required for pinpoint imaging).

And that is where it sits: sometimes one wants the romance and musicality of tubes with the power and drive of a solidstate. It is at a very, very nice middle ground between the two.

Enjoy!
-Mike (Lamm dealer and Audio Note U.K. Kegon 300B SET dealer/owner)

Hi Brooksl,

I have only heard the Tenor 300 hybrid, in both its prototype incarnation and it recent incarnation, and only at shows. However, based on these experiences and what I know of the design and designers of the two amplifiers, I would say that both the M1.1, 1.2, 2.1, and 2.2 and the Tenor 150 are good choices and are more or less comparable in general terms.

No, I know that doesn't help, but don't worry, I won't wimp out, lol. To contrast the two, one can think about the Tenors as being mostly tube based with a little solidstate thrown in for additional power and stabilization. One can think about the Lamm as mostly solid state with some tubes thrown in for additional musicality and naturalness. They both try to use the best of both technologies. They also both run hot. The tenor is quite a bit longer than the lamm, with a somewhat more polished look. Oops, I'm back to not helping again.

I think Lamm has a more stately, majestic, romantic, powerful kind of sound (as a friend commented to me once - think of old Russian art masterpieces or the old Russian classical masters like Rachmonanov). I think of Tenor as having a voiced their amps to have a more firey, dynamic, detailed, almost adrenaline-based sound (I often think of Flamenco music when I think of Tenor).

You may find that you really do not know which of these styles you prefer - or you may find that you prefer one style sometimes and the other style another time.

Sometimes it really does come down to 1) the nitty gritty system matching issues: how does each amp work with your speaker, with your cables and room and sources and the music you like to most often play and 2) the ergonomics issues: heat, size, maintenance, attractiveness, and pride-of-ownership, etc.

Nope, I don't think that helped at all. Well, these amps are pretty comparable and you are just gonna have to do some listening. Geez, that sounds like fun, you say?. It can be - getting blown away by new gear can be quite exhilerating... But you also might be right back where you sit now if BOTH amps happen to blow you away...

Many dealers will send out amps for audition to serious inquiries - assuming they have one available. Or you can try borrowing one from a very, very, very good friend... that works too.

Enjoy!
Mike