[Mark Korda]

The last Absolute Sound blew my mind.In an article the Cutting Edge was a review on the Lamm ML-3 amplifier by Peter Breuninger.A immigrated Russian,Vladimir Lamm builds this amp,vacuum tube,32 watts per channel for a mere 139,290 bucks.Frank VanAlstines 35 watt per channel,vacuum tube amp at a whoping 1,200 bucks.The Lamm,a SET amp,Ultravalve push pull.Peter Breuningers final line in his review(If you value sonic realism,the Lamm ML-3 amp and it's trusty mate,the LL1Signature linestage,have no peers.They re define the state of the audio art.They are actual sound.).Well,I dug out a copy of (Listener)Sept-Oct 2001 and there was an article written by Peter Breuninger in Classics,What made Philidelphia famous,about a 40 year old Dynaco Stereo 70.Peter bought one and the self proclaimed SET amp enthusiest said this about the Ultavalves (great grandmother)the Dyna ST-70-(Simply put,the Stereo 70 exhibits the same or better mid range focus than the best single ends,bass performance far superior to any single ended;crystal clear highs;a huge sound space;and life like timre).Geez,I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out which way to go in this economy,whoops,I'm sorry thats what Vladimir Lamm is..what do you think about this....Mark Korda

[Wayner]

I'm listening to my Ultravalve right now (fully modded) and Pat Matheny on LP sounds pretty damn good, and I certainly didn't pay the price they are asking for the Lamm. Who in Russia could afford this amp?

Anyway, I guess it's buy as you see fit.

Wayner

[adydula]

Hey Wayner, I gotta ask what is 'fully moded" mean!

Alex
 

[trebejo]

Hey Wayner, I gotta ask what is 'fully moded" mean!

Well he's got that magnificent LED bias thingy, which is bloody fantastic.

[Brett Buck]

Well he's got that magnificent LED bias thingy, which is bloody fantastic.

  Yeah, but it doesn't cost $130,000, so it can't be any good, right?

    Brett

[jhm731]

Hey Wayner, I gotta ask what is 'fully moded" mean!

Alex
 

+1

[Wayner]

New units are shipped fully modded, but mine was one of the first, so I did the 5AR4 diode upgrade.

I also own the original prototype of the Ultravalve and besides having the 5AR4 mod done, that one also has the choke mod done to it (see AVA website for mods).

Wayner

[turkey]

is..what do you think about this....Mark Korda

I think you're wasting your time by reading TAS. A Batman comic book displays superior writing and a similar respect for reality.

[jtwrace]

I think you're wasting your time by reading TAS. A Batman comic book displays superior writing and a similar respect for reality.

As a subscriber of TAS I think I'm going to agree.  I've been opening it lately and put it down as it's the same old thing and very boring...once the subscription runs out, I'm done.

[turkey]

As a subscriber of TAS I think I'm going to agree.  I've been opening it lately and put it down as it's the same old thing and very boring...once the subscription runs out, I'm done.

I've read TAS on and off since the late '70s. I borrowed other people's copies. I actually only subscribed for one year, and that was recently when they offered it to me for $12 a year. I decided it wasn't even worth that.

It was sort of entertaining in the past when Pearson showed his ignorance and attempted to argue with his betters. However, now that they hired the clueless idiot from Stereophile to be editor, TAS has become Stereophile Lite. The magazine is full of so many technical mistakes and logical fallacies that it hurts my stomach to read it.

[Charles Calkins]

TAS sure has nice pictures of Audio gear.

                                    Cheers
                                    Charlie

[jtwrace]

I've read TAS on and off since the late '70s. I borrowed other people's copies. I actually only subscribed for one year, and that was recently when they offered it to me for $12 a year. I decided it wasn't even worth that.

It was sort of entertaining in the past when Pearson showed his ignorance and attempted to argue with his betters. However, now that they hired the clueless idiot from Stereophile to be editor, TAS has become Stereophile Lite. The magazine is full of so many technical mistakes and logical fallacies that it hurts my stomach to read it.

Agree 100%

[Art_Chicago]

Who in Russia could afford this amp?

Wayner

there are a lot of nouveau riches (or whatever the right splelling is) in Russia who could afford it, but Lamm resides in California for last ~ 20 years. these are domestic audiophools who are buying it.

[festuss]

  Does it come with an Audi RS4 attached to it?  I'm sure it's well worth $130,000, with all that technical 50's tube technology, and sockets.  A car is just an engine fit and finish, heating cooling,few hundred HP, leather, etc.  An audio amplifier, is special, and the phooles that allow a Russian to have found the American dream, of selling overpriced stuff to phooles. Maybe a small house comes attached?

[jhm731]

I'd love to see someone compare the Ultravalve to the Lamm ML-3 monos, but I doubt anyone that paid $130K for the Lamms will step forward.

[Mark Korda]

Hi,Frank VanAlStine used to use this motto for Jensens Stereo Shop,when I first got bitten by the audio bug,ala 1975,(Where state of the art is affordable).I'm not kissing Franks ass,but he always answered the phone personally when I ever had a question.Any one should have to like that.I've really been studying harder at math and could conclude that quite a few Ultravalves could be enjoyed by many than the few who could own a Lamm amp...as Leonard Nimoy said in TV's Star Trek...the needs of many out weigh the needs of a few....Mark Korda

[guest1632]

Hi,Frank VanAlStine used to use this motto for Jensens Stereo Shop,when I first got bitten by the audio bug,ala 1975,(Where state of the art is affordable).I'm not kissing Franks ass,but he always answered the phone personally when I ever had a question.Any one should have to like that.I've really been studying harder at math and could conclude that quite a few Ultravalves could be enjoyed by many than the few who could own a Lamm amp...as Leonard Nimoy said in TV's Star Trek...the needs of many out weigh the needs of a few....Mark Korda

Well, I know this doesn't exactly have anything to do with Frank's gear, but in the mid .70's there was the "little amp" from GAS, Ampzilla. Son of Ampzilla, a 100W SS amp if memory served me right. The audio press went gaga over this piece. I had at that time purchased the Misubishi amp. You know the one with the two transformers, and the two caps on top.

Well, I took it to my local stereo store that had this amp and proceed to as best I could to compare it. needless to say, I found them both comparable to each other. I walked out of that store feeling pretty good. Here I had a japanese amp that was quite stable, whereas the GAS amp was not very stable, and would blow output transistors.

We're sure lucky to have in Audio Circle such a deverse group of manufacturers that give a good run for the money on all of the hyped gear out there. Just my two cents.

It would be an interesting shootout to compare some of the stuff on the circle with each other.

Ray Bronk

[martyo]

Well, I know this doesn't exactly have anything to do with Frank's gear, but in the mid .70's there was the "little amp" from GAS, Ampzilla. Son of Ampzilla, a 100W SS amp if memory served me right. The audio press went gaga over this piece. I had at that time purchased the Misubishi amp. You know the one with the two transformers, and the two caps on top.

Well, I took it to my local stereo store that had this amp and proceed to as best I could to compare it. needless to say, I found them both comparable to each other. I walked out of that store feeling pretty good. Here I had a japanese amp that was quite stable, whereas the GAS amp was not very stable, and would blow output transistors.

We're sure lucky to have in Audio Circle such a deverse group of manufacturers that give a good run for the money on all of the hyped gear out there. Just my two cents.

It would be an interesting shootout to compare some of the stuff on the circle with each other.

Ray Bronk

Interesting Ray. I owned the "Son". And tried the Mits, owned the Pioneer M22(Class A that looked just like your Mits), and tried the Pioneer Spec2, the Phase, the Crown. We thought all those amps(not the M22, it was just dull)were thin, bright, 2 dimensional.....
The "Son" was liquid, full bodied, 3 dimensional, dynamic, and very modestly rated at 80w. We often drove double Dahlquists(DQ10's) with it. Not an easy load with one pair let alone two. I thought it was a killer amp for $400. Apparently YMMV. To bring it back home, this was the time of Franks highly acclaimed mod of the Dyna 400. I did think the Mits looked cool.    

[turkey]

not kissing Franks ass,but he always answered the phone personally when I ever had a question.

Are you sure it was Frank? There were at least a couple of people that answered the phones and were hard to tell apart at that time (for me anyway).

[turkey]

Are you sure it was Frank? There were at least a couple of people that answered the phones and were hard to tell apart at that time (for me anyway).

Now that I think about it some more, maybe it was later that I was calling and couldn't tell who I was talking to. I remember calling a couple of times in the '70s, but I didn't buy anything from Jensen's until the '80s.