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Would a Lamm ll2.1 deluxe slay a Parasound JC2?

Hi. 

I have been thinking of adding a tube preamp to my chain to get a little more body and feel to the music. 

I currently have a Parasound JC2 which is detailed and dynamic. Very good really. But I may have trade and cash opportunity for a Lamm ll2.1 deluxe. It would be going into a new Bryston Cubed power amp. 

I havent heard a Lamm. Would it be a much better piece? Worthy of trying to work a deal?

argon66

Showing 3 responses by rcprince

rcprince
3,080 posts
 
It will be different, let's just say that.  The bass will probably be a little less taught than through the JC2, and the highs might seem a little less extended, but the midrange on the Lamm is just right by my ears, and the music just flowed beautifully and naturally through it when I had one on loan in my system.  These days, those are my priorities (that's why I have a Shindo preamp); only you know what yours are.  One unknown to me is how well the Lamm would interface with your amp, though.
rcprince
3,080 posts
 
No.  I've heard it and other solid state preamps in various systems, and while I appreciate the solid state strengths, there's something about the tubed preamps and amps that keeps drawing me in to the music and lets me not be bothered by a slight loss of high frequency extension or a little fatter bass.  The Lamm is among the best preamps (along with Jadis, VAC and Shindo) I've heard in my systems, but my system is all tubed--I might not have appreciated it as much when I first started in the hobby with an all solid state system.  Any chance you could listen to a Lamm or another tubed preamp?
rcprince
3,080 posts
 

Not sure which ARC preamps are hybrids anymore, but I did own an SP-11 Mk 2 (hybrid) and was using a Vendetta phono stage with it (one of the best around, and a reason I respect John Curl's designs so much).  I decided to replace the SP--11 with a line stage since I wasn't using its phono stage, and was all set to buy an LS2 hybrid line stage until my dealer let me compare it to a Jadis JPL.  The ARC hybrid, and my SP-11, had a much drier solid state sound, almost bleached in comparison; the Jadis was as liquid as you could imagine, and I bought it on the spot, even though I doubt it was as neutral as the ARC line stage.  The newer ARC preamps I have heard are really quite good, not nearly as dry as the old hybrids, but are still probably more neutral, not as fleshed out in the mids, as the others I've mentioned.  Can't comment on CJ, haven't heard any of them.  I liked the Lamm better than the ARCs I've heard, it is a little more fleshed out in the mids to my ear, and while it was a little fatter in the bass, that wasn't unpleasant and gave it the impression of having a bit of bass weight.

I had a chance to audition some very large Volent speakers a number of years ago; they were really nice speakers, but a bit too big (and expensive) for my room at the time. Only caveat I have about them with a Lamm is whether the Lamm's slight bass fullness might be too much of a good thing with the Volents, which I recall went pretty low in the bass. How do they sound in that area with the JC2?

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