Well, I've been burning in the Bent for almost two weeks and whatever hint of brightness I heard is now gone. I took it over a friend's house and same thing, not bright AT ALL. Rich, organic sound with a very transparent, holographic soundstage that's deep, wide and open. I'm afraid the highly regarded LSA has met its match IN MY SYSTEM. Add the convenience of remote volume and balance control and I'm afraid it's a no-brainer.....the Bent shall stay and hold the honor of being "king of the hill" for preamps in my system. Also, the Bent's autoformers handle retrieval of low volume detail and information better than the LSA due to the Bent's superior output impedance at low volumes.
To anyone considering the LSA, please do not misunderstand. The LSA is IMO, is an OUTSTANDING passive and anyone on the fence about purchasing one should get off of it!!! The Bent is considerably more expensive, even on the used market but like I said, IN MY SYSTEM, the Bent is the king.
