Some two weeks ago, I posted my first ‘wow’ impression of the LF55 after listening at AKSA HQ for an hour or so through Hugh’s backup speakers. So I couldn’t wait to get it home and try it in my dedicated stereo system but by the time the opportunity came up this weekend, it was the LF100 that Hugh placed in my boot.
Having reread most of the previous posts about both the LF55 and latterly the LF100, I’ve realised that I have found what everyone else has already said to be true and that repeating the descriptive accolades would simply take up space. So I will take a slightly different approach and apart from summarising my impressions at the end, I will rather describe what the LF100 (trial) has done for my system.
To set the background then, I have been deeply researching speakers over recent times as my taste is for accuracy and detail, but neutral. After much listening, Vandersteen 2CE sigs headed my list but in the ‘saving up’ meantime, I had picked up some very old but pristine Vandy 1s. Whilst they are bottom end of the range, I had found them very good but lacking a little something, dynamics I suspect, with the previous amplification I had heard them with. Whilst lovely, they were perhaps a touch more laid back than I wanted.
So, enter the LF100 stage left, hook it up to the Vandy’s with a reasonable CD source and lets see how they go together. Well my first reaction is that ‘wow’ simply doesn’t cut it as a descriptor any more. This has been simply the most pleasantly, astonishing upgrade weekend that I have ever had. Talk about coming alive. The LF100 has been simply brilliant in bringing out the best in the speakers. Base is now amazing for a 2 way system. That lower octave I was missing over the bigger 2 series is of course still missing in an absolute sense but the drive and slam on what I do have, is excellent. More importantly to me, the overall naturalness and musicality across the whole frequency spectrum is pretty much everything I have previously dreamed of. And I can’t even imagine how much better the next model up might be.
I have thrown every sort of music I can at the system to see if it trips up anywhere, but not so far. I hope I am not going too far now but I prefer the LF100 overall to the Glass Harmony for the reasons above. To me it is quite neutral and while it perhaps lacks that little bit of extra warmth and finesse in the midrange, it is so punchy and fast such that to my ears it is reproducing all of the musical detail in an extraordinary way. I have one quality recording of a string quartet that I have listened to about three times now and I still find it hard to grasp just how realistic the timbre of the instruments is. Imaging and soundstage were superb such that you are really part of the performance.
Things I have particularly noticed were the handling of decay; brilliant. Echo and reverberation detail are such as I have never heard before and as well, there is a totally natural instrument separation and an almost holographic soundstage. My overall impression was of effortless rather than absolute power giving great dynamic range, transients, tonal purity and superb openness and imaging. The dynamics gave me a huge sense of the performance, particularly during dynamic orchestral passages, that was very, very impressive. There was no congestion, distortion or harshness that I could detect. Strings, wind and vocals are remarkably lifelike. String plucks are clean and all the stages of a drumbeat detectable.
I hope everyone reading this realises that I am neither a true audiophile nor a professional reviewer, just an enthusiast. I haven’t listed any negative points as I have not noticed any. I am sure, on rereading the above, that my description may sound a little enthusiastic for essentially budget speakers and source, but that’s how much the LF100 has enhanced my system to my ears. In the end, I virtually dragged Hugh around to my place to have a quick listen to the amazing synergy between amp and speakers in a customer system. I hope it was worthwhile Hugh. My only problem now is being able to hang on after returning the demonstrator amp till Hugh can supply my order.
