Lamm LP2 Deluxe vs. Manley Steelhead

Rvlardon, i've not 'yet' had the chance to compare my much-loved Lamm LP2 Delux with the Manley but hope to soon. like Rcprince, i have a hard time imagining a better phono stage than the Lamm......but i also agree with jtinn that the Manley is more flexible and less probematic with low-output cartridges and inefficient systems.

i also agree with Fremer's comments....you might also read Dick Olsher's comments on www.enjoythemusic.com regarding the Lamm.

the Lamm is very quiet and highly resolving.....but always natural and un-mechanical......it has worked flawlessly for 10 months now and is the real deal. i think there is something to be said for the simple design and non-adjustability of the Lamm.....in a phono stage everything matters a great deal and Lamm does not compromise to attain adjustability.

i also highly recommend the Colibri XCP 8.5 cartridge as absolutely stunning with the Lamm. it has bettered all comers in my system (i am also enjoying the Colibri XWG 6.5).

Gladstone, Happy Holidays! when you need adjustability it becomes essential. but if your cartridges have enough gain and work well with a 400 ohm loading that comes preloaded on the Lamm then why complicate things?

i have 4 cartridges from .2mv output to .85mv output that all work great with the Lamm.....and that is even with a passive preamp and only 90.5 db efficient speakers.....which you heard for yourself when you were here.

your 'rolled' Manley may be better than the Lamm but the Lamm has the gain and loading that works well for most MC cartridges.

Rvlardon, thanks for the correction.....i mean't 40 ohms not 400 ohms.

i don't think i'm very expert on the loading issue. my first few cartridges seemed happiest at 47k ohms, more top end air and openness.....which i liked. that was when i was using the Aesthetix Io phono stage (which turned out to be have a slightly 'dark' character in contrast to the Lamm). the Lamm has always seemed more detailed and open than the Aesthetix Io even at 40 ohms. if i had the Manley i might be end up someplace else if i played with the adjustments.