VAC and LAMM

I have two favorite high powered amplifiers, and you've just mentioned
both of the manufacturers of them.

(Note: Due to the speakers that my friends and I use, we have only
auditioned high powered amplifiers, (100+ wpc). The SET amps have not
been auditioned by us, as we can not use them, as our speakers are not
efficient enough.)

For solid state, (hybrid actually), I like the 220 wpc Lamm M2.2
monoblock amplifiers. They are very powerful, and yet can retrieve even
the most delicate sounds. They have excellent bass response, (deep,
tight and quick), and I have not heard an amp this refined that has bass
response like this. The treble response is both well extended and quite
refined. The mid-range is quite nice, and has an organic sound, that a
true solid state amplifier can not quite match. (FYI: Due to the one 6922
tube in each monoblock, they can be tailored to each person's taste - my
friend uses Amperex pinched waist 6922's in his). This was my absolute
lone favorite high powered amplifier, until I heard the VAC Phi 300.1
stereo amp.

The fully tubed 150 wpc VAC Phi 300.1 stereo amp, while not quite
matching up with the Lamm in terms of both deep bass response and
quickness, (i.e. piano strikes are slightly faster on the Lamm), is better in
both the mid-range and the treble response. The mid-range has that
mid-range magic that only tubes seem to provide. Vocals are just
incredible with the VAC! The treble response is even more refined than
the Lamm is, (which I thought was impossible, as the Lamm had beaten
all comers up until the VAC came along).

IMHO, for high powered amplifiers, you can do no better than these two.
They have their differences, (albeit subtle ones), but for my money, they
are the best of the best!

I think, LAMM has all tube amp too, and I don't mean 18 watt/ch SET. Am I wrong?
Thank you very much for your post. Somehow, while reading many threads here, I too came to the assumption that LAMM and VAC make the best real world high-powered amps. And you came to this conclusion after listening to many if not all amps. So choosing between them would be very much a matter of taste and of the kind of music one mostly listens to. Perhaps, the size of the room and average db level as well. Based on your description I would probably take LAMM for its edge in dynamics and bass but I am sure I would miss VAC too. It would be tough.
I would assume that VAC reference integrated is outstanding too.

Hello Inna,

Yes, Lamm makes a push-pull 90 wpc tube amp. However, I have never heard it. It seems somewhat rare, as most people either go for the 18 wpc SET tube amp, or the 110 wpc full Class "A" hybrid M1.2 reference, when choosing lower powered Lamm amps.

(The M1.2 is quite good too, and sonically, slightly better than the M2.2 I previously mentioned. The only problem being that it is only 110 wpc. And being full Class "A", it gets pretty hot, whereas the M2.2, being merely heavily biased into Class "A", (for the first 41 wpc), is merely very warm.)

FYI, one thing I forgot to mention is that the VAC Phi 300.1 amp does run hot. (It will raise the temperature of the room by several degrees, whereas the M2.2 will only raise it a few degrees. And, I should also point out that in speaking to another Audiogon member who uses the 300.1, that they can be bridged, and he uses two of them that way, as 300 wpc monoblocks, which he says completely eliminates the minor lack of bass response. Of course the cost then doubles, which puts them way above the cost of the Lamms.)

PS Another friend at one point owned the 110 wpc VAC Beta integrated amp, after having owned the 200 wpc hybrid Lamm M2.1 monoblocks, (the same amps that I use, btw). He loved the sound, but unfortunately, at only 110 wpc, it was underpowered for the speakers he was using, and he has since moved on.

Good Luck in your search!

Hello Kurt tank.
Thank you again.
LAMM or VAC separates will very likely be part of my ultimate system, years from now. In the more near future I might try one or more of the integrateds from Rowland, VAC or Gryphon. Or perhaps older Rowland separates, something like CoherenceI preamp and model 5 amp.

I have Lamm M2.2 and love it very much but there are a few things to consider. M2.2 is certainly considered a great high power amps but considering choices of speakers nowaday and Lamm's relatively low damping factor, it may or may not be the best amp for your speakers. I had a pair of Usher Be-20 and a few amps went through my room during that time. Older pair of Spectral DMA 160, Jadis JA200, Plinius SA 103, ASR Basis Exclusive II and then Lamm2.2 To my ears, Lamm has the best midrange, a little dark on top but well extended (more so with US Amperex pinched waist 6922 than pretty much every other 6922 tubes I tried, other tubes that I tried such as Mullard, Mazda, Gold Aero etc. Lamm bass is deep, tight but does not have the punch or control Usher's dual Eton drivers nearly as well in comparison to Spectral or ASR. Even Plinius SA 103 is a touch better in this regard. However, Lamm's lower damping factor seems to match my current speakers, Magico Q3 much better. Unfortunately I don't have a chance to hear Q3 with any other amps beside Soulution 710 (but in different room). I actually prefer Lamm as Soulution sounded incredibly clean and fast but does not sound natural to me. I kept thinking that no tympani and bass drum is that tight. I wonder if that might have something to do with Soulution extremely high damping factor (Lamm listed its damping factor as 82, Soulution >10,000 ). I would love to hear VAC but it is not available locally here.

VAC is untouchable in its mids and highs. I have a 300.1a and the detail retrieval, refinement, and smooth nature of the mids/highs is best I've heard. The lower registers are there, just not very pronounced. Very deliberate and tight as can be, but gives the overall sound a tipped up presence unless your speakers are darker/bass heavy. I am only running one 300.1a on 89db speakers with nominal impedance of 6ohms but big swings to 3.7 ohms. The clean, smooth, clear highs and mids, with tube magic on imaging/dimension, is addictive.

Both are great manufactures.

That being said what Kur tank wrote;

"Vocals are just incredible with the VAC! The treble response is even more refined than the Lamm is, (which I thought was impossible, as the Lamm had beaten all comers up until the VAC came along).

I fully agree with this statement and would like to add there are further improvements using two in mono block configuration, will improve the bass and dynamics.

I own MBL 101E's and it's been a long journey trying this and that, once I heard the VAC's Statement 450 mono blocks paired up with their Sig. MK2a pre-amp well it's most defiantly a exspearience that I'm very fortuante to have had and heard which I now own and has gotten me off the merry-go-round.

I have never exsperienced hearing anything like this, not even close.

You can refer to VAC's web site for a more detailed description of such but really it's so dramatic just leaving you with a smiling exsperience.

If you were after a stereo only pce I would want to hear the Statement 450S stereo.

VAC or LAMM for FIRST SOUND PRE ?