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LEBEN CS600 OR CS300X

hi everyone.
i have devore gibbon nines speakers.
i decided to buy amplifer for my speakers ,after alot of question here on audiogon what amp to buy i decided to go with leben (i hope i will be not dissapointed),my budget is max 4000-5000$. i think in this price range i cant buy shindo pre +power :-((
so not i consider what will be good value for the money cs 300x or cs600 ? all i know is that cs600have alot of power more but what will be more good to my speakers 300x or 600?
i have averge living room about (5 meter on 4 meters) i hear all kind of music rock alot and quiet music but not classic music.
so what the diffrent between them and what will be the best comb with my devore nines speakers 300x 0r 600 ???
thanks alot hope to hear about it
bolero32

Showing 6 responses by bongofury

bongofury
1,160 posts
 
300 s. Amazing value for the money. Heard it with your speakers many times. Magical. Please also get their phono stage.
bongofury
1,160 posts
 
Bolero

You can easily rock those speakers with the 300sx. The Shindo are more for vocals, classical and jazz, where timbre and depth is most prized.

I listened to Radiohead's Amnesiac on the Leben and it was amazing. It perfectly reassembled and powered the most difficult tracks on the album. Great bass grip for a tube amp.

Before you make a decision, you should also look at Almarro amps out of Japan and Decware out of Chicago. These tube amps rival the best Shindo and Leben gear, at a fraction of their cost. The Almarro 205 is a steal. I got it for one of my children and it perfectly plays electronica and hip hop.
bongofury
1,160 posts
 
I am a big fan of Paradigm mini monitors. I bought some for my daughter, married to the small Almarro amp. I also rebuilt a NAD 3200, the last great tube sounding integrated amp they made. Both sound incredible with the speakers. In the Paradigm line, hard to go wrong with the Atoms to S1s.

I did hear the Leben with Gibbon 8s and the new Or96s. I can't speak for Almarro powering the Nines, but I have heard them power Almarro speakers with great effect.

Shinod, IMHO, seems radically overpriced for what you get for sound. I have heard similar results on Luxman tubes (Their 38 is a steal) and Leben's roots come from Luxman.

I see very little need to move from the 300 to the 600. The difference to me, for the music I heard, was very narrow.
bongofury
1,160 posts
 
Bolero

A few answers:

1)I found that the 300 could power most rock. It is used by Zu and DeVore in demo purposes. I heard it at In Living Stereo in NY and it easily played the rock format.
2) The 600 will have a sweeter tone next to the Shindo. I prefer it over Shindo, which seems to be made for jazz and classical.
3) LM is made in China. There are better alternatives for you, including Decware in the US and Almarro in Japan. You should also look at Luxman. The N100 amp is a steal.
Chinese gear has no resell. Luxman has highest resell, next to McIntosh.
bongofury
1,160 posts
 
Jonathan

Luxman, Almarro and Leben are small manufacturers who take pride in their Japanese made product. Likewise, Decware is made in Chicago.

To my ears, Leben had a sweeter midrange and better bass control and grip over the Shindo, which will work better with Bolero's selections. Shindo offers more nuance and depth, something you associate with classical.

I have seen DeVore use Leben gear at electronic shows.
bongofury
1,160 posts
 
Check out the photo album within the DeVore Site. You can clearly see the Leben amp and phono in the Montreal 2009 show.
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