Lightspeed Attenuator - Best Preamp Ever?

Hi,

I am using Lightspeed Attenuator for 3 weeks already and want to share my impression here.

My system are;

Audio Note DAC 3.1 custom modded TC Reference MBX. by Bill Baker, Response Audio.with two separate mono power supply unit as same as preamp L2, Mac Mini, Offramp 5 USB convertor, DIY Duelund wire RCA IC, XLO Purple Rush power cord
Zen Mystery Amp. MIT Oracle RCA IC. Synergistic Research Tesla Reference power cable.
Avalon Avatar speakers. MIT Oracle speaker cable.
Hydra 8. ZSB. Kubala Sosna Emotion PC.

I have modded my Decware Zen Mystery amp by removing volume pot out of signal path. It improves much substantial transparency and dynamics to my system. I don't use any preamp. The source Audio Note DAC is connected directly to Zen Mystery amp. So that I need to have volume control for my amp. I read a lot forum about active premap, passive preamp and all types of volume control from volume pot, shunt resistor volume pot, Auto Transformer volume control (ATVC) and Lightspeed attenuator. My decision to go with Lightspeed attenuator.

I love my system to have amp connected directly to source, no preamp. The sound is fabulous. I temporarily use digital volume control in Pure Music software while Lightspeed attenuator was not arrived yet. The digital volume control is acceptable but still creates some sound distortion that you can hear.

When Lightspeed attenuator arrives, I connect it between my amp and source as a preamp. I hardly hear any different between having lightspeed attenuator in my system and without it in my system. It is so transparency. I give 99.5% transparency to directly connecting between amp and source. The 0.5% transparency short is for need of extra one interconnect cable which affects on sound quality. I am very happy and highly recommend to use Lightspeed attenuator as your preamp if you love your amp directly connecting with your source. Or your source has a very excellent sound and you don't want preamp to change its sound quality. And your system don't have any impedance mismatch with Lighspeed attenuator.

For active preamp, therea re some benefits because there are two more functions in active preamp which passive preamp does not have;
1) Gain stage function. Its function is to increase voltage of signal to improve loud and dynamics of system.
2) Buffer stage, its function is to prevent impedance system mismatch. If your source sound is harsh, buffer stage may help to reduce harsh sound.
Then active preamp is benefit for some hifi system.

You select the best for your system.

Thanks Marqmike,

Yes, I will.

Hi,

I just modded Light speed attenuator by replacing stock RCA jack with WBT 0210-Ag RCA "Next Gen" Pure Silver in signal path, Female Jack. I have modded my Zen Mystery Amp by replacing stock RCA jack with WBT 0210-Ag (Ms - metal nut) RCA "Next Gen" Pure Silver in signal path, Female Jack. And sonic improvement is huge in term of transparency, transient and micro-details. Then I want Light Speed Attenuator to be modded same thing.

This is instruction from George of how to replacing stock RCA jacks.

below are the opening instruction, if you change the rca’s they must be full bodied metal, as they have to have electrical contact from their body (which is earth) to the Lightspeed chassis on all 4 rca’s.

1: Remove two only top screws at the back
2: remove all 4 screws at the front.
3: Pull out front panel and bezel only about 10mm and lower.
4: Slide top plate out from the front.

But the RCA jack WBT Next Gen Silver 0210-Ag body is plastic, not metal. So that they cannot be ground through chassis contacting point at cut whole bare metal. Then I use silver wire to connect all ground point of RCA jack of both in put RCAs and out put RCAs and ground to chassis at one point only.

Result is that my Hi Fi system can play louder than before. It may be 1-2 dB or easily to hear different loud. Second both hi and low frequency is more extend with better dynamics contrast. The improvement is dramatic better and it is worth every penny to replace stock RCA by WBT RCA jack of pure silver in signal path.

However I think that using direct wire to connect between ground or negative points of both in put RCAs and out put RCAs together has affected better sonic improvement. (instead of using back panel aluminum plate as ground path). The Light speed attenuator owner can do simple modification of Light speed attenuator by using good quality wire to connect all RCAs ground together to improve the sound quality.

Hope this information will be helpful.

Hi,

I want to add that I replace stock wires in signal path with Duelund silver hook up 2 wires. Just make sharp point of Duelund silver hook up 2 wires and solder it to PCB board.

It improves Light Speed Attenuator's sound to next level in term of transparency, 3D image and speed (PRaT).

I hope that George will think of launching Light Speed Attenuator Signature model with high quality parts (all pure silver wires and connectors in signal path) and premium luxury chassis to capture another audiophile segment. Because this audiophile segment have a lot money and just sound quality of equipment from luxury chassis. I bet that Light Speed Attenuator can challenge many top brand preamp if using in system with no problem of misimpedance matching and no problem of gain.

Wrong type of just. It should be judge.

Hello,

As I confirm with Marqmike, I will give more impression.
I am still using LSA and very happy with LSA. After mod with pure silver wire and pure silver WBT RCA plug, the LSA provides very delicate micro nuance, better contrast of micro and macro dynamics, better transient and articulate bass. The treble is sparkling. The only concern is that you have to make sure that the electricity feed LSA is strong enough when LSA is run by battery power. If yours system sound is weak in dynamics, please check battery power first that it is strong or not. When battery power is weak, it makes your system sound no dynamics.

However now I plan to acquire Coincident Line Statement preamp. Because my system is not loud enough when music recorded with low gain is played. My system need more gain. It is not fault of LSA. Because the sound is not loud enough also when I connect front DAC directly to amp. I will give my review between Coincident Line Statement preamp verus LSA when I got Coincident Line Statement Pre-amp.

Hi,

I want to update my Light Speed Attenuator passive pre-amp. It is replaced by Coincident statement Line stage active pre-amp(CSLS) (Transformer Volume Attenuator with DHT 101D tube gain stage.) The reason to replace is that low gain album record can be played not loud enough.

The result of CSLS replacing LSA is that

Pro:
1) Excellent Authority and Dynamics. It is like you change car from 1,600 cc to 3,000 cc turbo charge. Absolutely dynamics and in different world to LSA. It means that dynamic authority gains as same level as any Solid state amp. It makes you feel excite and PRaT. It can play loud peak as 101 dB of any album record (high or low gain). Previously with LSA, it plays as maximum loud of peak 99 dB of high gain record album and peak 87 dB of low gain record album.

Con:
1) All nuances and micro details gone or disappear or high definition sound is gone. LSA or direct connect between source and amp provides or keep all nuances and micro details (high definition sound) which makes you feel realism of LIVE music band playing in your room, very emotional music.

Now it is dilemma for me to choose between Excellent Authority Dynamics of CSLS or Nuance and high definition sound of LSA.

For me, I think that CSLS pre-amp acts as drive stage of source (extension driver stage of source) to enhancing amp to get maximum authority dynamic in bass of speakers. The more gain in IN PUT of Amp. the easier of Amp to drive speakers. But circuit of pre-amp causes signal loss in certain ways, for this case, the nuances and micro details is lost in CSLS.

LSA acts as volume attenuator of Amp. In my case, it is like direct connecting between source and amp so that all signal is kept very well, minimum lost. However if the driver stage of source (Audio Note DAC 3.1) can not provide sufficient gain to AMP (Decware Zen Mystery Amp) then the system is lost in some authority and dynamic in bass.

I will modded CSLS by replacing signal cable wire both in put and out put cable wire to be Deulund Hook up wire 2 version 2 (Pure Ribbon Cable wire)in order to gain nuances and micro details of signal back. Because I observe that signal cable wire used in CSLS is very small normal wire.

I will report back after modded CSLS again.

George,

Thanks for your clarify.

It is not false of LSA in authority in bass and dynamic. Before I mod my ZMA amp, I connect my ZMA amp directly with Accuphase DP77 SACD/CD player. The loudness and dynamics is the same as my current set up playing with LSA.

The nuances and micro details are gained after LSA is modded by
1)Changing internal signal wire to be Deulund hook up 2.
2)RCA female jack to be replaced by WBT pure silver female jack.

This is the reason why I have to mod CSL pre-amp with Deulund hook up wire 2 in signal cable wire and WBT pure silver female jack and check the result in sound quality again.

I still encourage that LSA internal signal wire must be replaced by high quality wire like pure silver Deulund hook up wire 2 and WBT pure silver female jack. This mod provides nuances and micro details like changing HDTV to be 4K HDTV or UHDTV.

Hi,

I just want to report back after modded CSLS.

My Coincident Statement Line Stage Pre-amp is modified by replacing signal cable wires both in put and out put cable wire to be Deulund Hook up wire 2 version 2 (Pure Ribbon Cable wire) in order to gain nuances and micro details of signal back. Because I observe that signal cable wire used in CSLS is very small normal wire.

Result is that new modded CSLS combines best of both worlds now. It has both excellent high definition details of sound as passive pre-amp strength and excellent weight and authority (dynamics) as active pre-amp strength.

However the cost of modded equipment (Duelund hook up wire 5 meters and 3 pairs of WBT pure silver Nex Gen RCA female plug) is USD 1,500 which is quite high also. But it is worth every penny.