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Pre-amps for Leben CS-600x

Hi All,


I’ve been driving my Devore O96s with a Leben CS-600x, and it been good. Ok a lark I ordered a Bottlehead 300b preamp and amp. I received the preamp first and ran that through the Leben. It was revelatory. The sound was open, imaging was better, and it had an immersive quality it didn’t have before. I received the amp and it pales in comparison to the Bottlehead Leben combo. 


This has raised the question about what an every better preamp could do. Do you have any suggestions for a preamp that might make the Leben even more magical? 


 

Thank you!

markimiller
kasperbergholt's avatar
kasperbergholt
4 posts
 

I'm having some difficulty figuring out how to quote comments, so

"I can’t speak to how the Leben is built, but I do know that overall it sounds better with the bottle head than with its own preamp section (alone ?). Why would Leben offer it if it would only diminish the sound?"

That's a good point - and I'm believer in 'trust your ears'. Looking forward to hearing about your further experiences with preamps with the CS-600X.

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lak's avatar
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lak
4,529 posts
 

@markimiller Is the preamp section of the Leben CS-600x passive?

markimiller OP
14 posts
 

@lak no, the preamp section has tubes. It’s not merely a volume pot. 

markimiller OP
14 posts
 

I ended up getting an Shindo Monbrison, which makes the Leben sing. But I also got a Shindo Montille, and that outshines the Leben by no small measure.  

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