2. amps-preamps
  3. 1337395195

Who here uses Von Gaylord amps or other gear?

I'm curious how many 'Goners are familiar with this sleeper of a hi-fi company (formerly Legend Audio Design) that has been around for 15+ years but seldom mentioned. I have been completely enamored by their products! I recently discovered that a coworker is a fellow audiophile and he told me his system was all Von Gaylord. My first thought was, "Did you say Von GAYLORD??" But being curious, I did a search here and found a pair of Chinchilla interconnects at a reasonable price so I thought I'd give them a try. Boy was I shocked at how good the sound was! So transparent and open, airy yet rich in tone, smooth and musical but so clear and not smeared or soft at all, great bass extension and weight... I mean these cables did it all and really just blew away my Audience AU24e which I liked a lot. I found another pair of Chinchilla interconnects from a local guy and snatched them up. He happened to have some other Von Gaylord gear he was selling to upgrade and let me demo the LAD-L2 preamp. I was even more shocked than with the Chinchilla!

To make a long story short I have replaced my Conrad Johnson CT5 preamp with the LAD-L2, all of my Audience AU24e/powerChord e cabling except for speaker cables (working on that) with Chinchillas, my Luxman M-600a power amp with Nirvana monoblocks, and added the Legend speakers to my bedroom system, and they have all been substantial upgrades. I decided not to replace my Tannoy Turnberry SEs with the Legends in my main system, but that had a lot to do with the size of the room and bass extension/weight. Plus the Tannoy dual concentrics have a unique sound and timbre that I enjoy, though the Legends admittedly do most "audiophile" things better and are more detailed.

This all happened in about a month's time.

From what I have read I am certainly not the first to get sucked in by their interconnects and fully converted! I can't recall reading anything really negative about any of their products, except for a somewhat lukewarm review of the entry level Starlet integrated in Stereophile from a long time ago. Still, there is not a lot of reports about Von Gaylord out there.

Aside from being a very happy customer, I have no affiliation with the company. Also, the owner Ray Leung is a great guy and has given me white glove service in my home for all of my needs!
eugene81
ravicchio
9 posts
 
I agree that the Von Gaylord products are addicting.
I have gone from Thiel to Proac to Von Gaylord in my
search for a final speaker within my budget. Nothing
wrong with Thiel or Proac ( I still own some Proac
speakers ) but the "Return of the Legend" system brings
me closer to my sonic nirvana.
I am also able to listen at a lower volume and not lose " The Magic!" I found that my ProAcs, (D38s), needed power and volume to shine. I still love the sound of the ProAcs but the Legends really draw me into the music better. I have a mixture of cables and the lower end of the Von Gaylord electronics. LAD-2 Signature Pre Amp and LM Triode Monoblocks. No DAC in the system currently running from the Oppo 95 into the Pre Amp. Another benefit is that more of my music collection is tolerable. Many recordings I could not sit through are now enjoyable. I also agree that Ray offers outstanding customer service and is great to deal with.
If you are on the fence, you should set up an audition with Ray.
eugene81 OP
270 posts
 
I just upgraded most of my cables from the Chinchilla to the Legend 7000s including interconnects from DAC to pre and pre to amps + power cords on the DAC and preamp -- still running the amps with Chinchilla.

WOW, a substantial improvement where I didn't think it was possible! The same wonderful rich and vivid tone is retained but instruments have considerably more air and texture within, incredibly open and transparent. Their sounds emanate more into the room making them just more life-like than before. By comparison, the Chinchillas sound a bit compressed. I never thought I would say that!

Actually, Ray had left me a pair of the ICs for a few weeks. I put them in and immediately noticed an improvement, but decided I would be disciplined and take them out so as not to get too used to them. A couple of days before he was to pick them up I found a pair of Chinchillas for my bedroom system. While I put those in I decided to compare them to the 7000s again (that was the fatal "mistake"). They both sounded really good but the 7000s had that extra realistic magic that made me consider them for my main system. Ray gave me a great package deal for being a loyal customer so I bit the bullet and the improvement in sound was undoubtedly compounded by changing multiple cables. The upgrade definitely bruised the wallet, but listening to the system with these cables in massages the wounds. :) There are other areas in my system which could have used the money, but I feel the 7000s were a worthwhile investment. Someday when I can scrape together the extra cash I will get myself a pair of JPS Aluminata to compare them to.
awahl's avatar
awahl
7 posts
 
All the electronic I got for my main system are
Legend/Von Gaylord,all of it strongly improved my system
and I love it. It is just a hair away from perfect for me.

The legend Pre Amp L2 signature (got me 15% closer to perfect)
Speaker cables from Legend, (5%)
Legend D/A music reference (5%)
Interconnect Cables (4%)
Legend modified Phillips CD80 as transport.(2%)
Line conditioner live performance (2%)
Legend Power cables (0.1%)

driving my wonderful Infinity IRS Beta
with Pass x250 for mid/high awesome as long as it stays in class A (re paced one of my aging Rowland 7)
and Rowland 7 Power amps for the base.

My other systems are Klipsch corner horns with HH Scott and (Legacy Illusion with Jadis.
vladimir
346 posts
 
"... and the lower end of the Von Gaylord electronics. LAD-2 Signature Pre Amp and LM Triode"

Nothing low end with those, Ravicchio, the LM Triodes are one of the best small tube amps ever, real classics.
sherod
1,690 posts
 
I have had the Chinchilla interconnects in my system for many
years. After trying many( and I mean "many")
interconnects over the years, these Von Gaylord interconnects
stopped my impulsive trying out interconnects and allowed me
to just focus on the music. I recently upgraded one of them to
the Legend 7000s and it added another level of improvement. I
also took the plunge and ordered a Lad L-2 preamp this week.
If this preamp makes a noticeable improvement in my system(
has to beat out my Audio Horizons TP 2.0 preamp), my next step
will be to try, perhaps, the Nirvana mono amps(currently have
VAC Musicblocs). Who knows, I might end up with an all Von
Gaylord system.
By the way, would anyone know if the Lad L-2 preamp inverts
the phase?
More to discover