lamm m2.2 to 1.2

awsmone

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Apr 6, 2014
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Hi Lamm lovers

I have to swap my 2.2 for 1.2
Have been happy with my 2.2...the offer came from the blue
What do others with more lamm experience than me think?
thx A
 

strapper211

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Aug 6, 2013
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Hi,
Huge sonic upgrade,the Lamm 1.2 is probably Vladimir's most versatile amp.Very powerful for it's rated output.
It drove the heck out of the Kharma's at the CES.
You have to go upgrade to the ML series for a noticeable sound improvement.
Robert
 

jeff1225

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Jan 29, 2012
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I agree, the Lamm room with the smaller Kharma's and M1.2 amps was in my opinion the best sound of the show. Excellent dynamics and an unbelievable three dimensional sound stage. The audiophile staple of St James Infirmary never sounded better.

It was a good lesson for me in system matching, the ML3's failed to drive the larger Kharma's in the other room.
 

bonzo75

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Feb 26, 2014
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Hi, what one person with Lamm and panels who uses 2.2 told me is that it gave him extra current over the 1.2 which was required for orchestral dynamics. He said the 1.2 plays more in class A, but the difference on the rest of the sound was negligible to him, and the dynamics headroom of the 2.2 was what mattered to him. Suggest you compare both instead of assuming 1.2 is better
 

awsmone

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Apr 6, 2014
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that is my one concern..
Hi, what one person with Lamm and panels who uses 2.2 told me is that it gave him extra current over the 1.2 which was required for orchestral dynamics. He said the 1.2 plays more in class A, but the difference on the rest of the sound was negligible to him, and the dynamics headroom of the 2.2 was what mattered to him. Suggest you compare both instead of assuming 1.2 is better
 

awsmone

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OMG i just got m2.2 to clip on rite of spring

Am i making a mistake ?
 

Argonaut

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Jul 30, 2013
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OMG i just got m2.2 to clip on rite of spring

Am i making a mistake ?

Ouch! That's going some Andrew, I used to draw into the 140's valve Watts on peak transients, measuring 96dB in room response.
A move to 250 valve Watts has proven to be most effective.
 
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Argonaut

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Are your MLs rated at 6-Ohms nominal? Do you have the 2.2's biasing circuit switch on back set to high or low impedance?

A nominal 6 Ohms indeed, however it's the sub 1 Ohm @ 20K that can cause a number of amplifiers to choke!
 

awsmone

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Apr 6, 2014
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Are your MLs rated at 6-Ohms nominal? Do you have the 2.2's biasing circuit switch on back set to high or low impedance?

The Morel are 4 ohm

using low impedance

M1.2 arrived and breaking in as i write

Luxury.... mullards and telefunkens to tube roll with golden lion and two 6n23s....
 

awsmone

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Congrats. With a bit more time on them it would be great to learn what you think about their sound and any differences vs the 2.2.

Amplifiers just settling in

So far not huge differences

working my way through tube combinations.. nil else changed

The system was optimised for m2.2

Question is can m1,2 surpass it?

in 24 hours it has equalled it ...?!
 

bonzo75

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Is it the same on dynamic passages
 

es347

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Apr 20, 2010
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OMG i just got m2.2 to clip on rite of spring

Am i making a mistake ?

..you could always trade them in on a pr of MC601s ;)
 

awsmone

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Is it the same on dynamic passages

no difference detected maybe less grainy on very loud but not sure
images and surrounds seem to have this spotlit character like someone shined a light on performer from behind...interesting
they sure run hotter !
 

awsmone

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Apr 6, 2014
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Indeed, and why I was asking about where awsmone had the biasing circuit switch set

Per the 2.2 spec:
high impedance: 900 Watts into 1 Ohm (5.125 Watts Class A operation)
low impedance: 600 Watts into 1 Ohm (10.25 Watts Class A operation)

From the 1.2 spec:
high: 600 Watts into 1 Ohm (13.75 Watts Class A operation)
low: 400 Watts into 1 Ohm (27.55 Watts Class A operation).

Yes have had issues with other ss amps

So far... there are great similarities in sound between the two, Paul Bolins review pretty much summed it up well

My own observations so far

Little difference dynamically between the two
Transparence excellent in both, but slightly better image separation in the m1.2
And very loud levels, the M1.2 doesn't become as harsh close to clipping and retains the same sonic character compared to the m2.2

I will see what comes out with more tube rolling

For the time been I am using the same set of 6n23 tubes as i had in the m2.2, so nothing else has changed but the amp chassis

Will keep u posted as things evolve and tube rolling gets underway

I have mullards, golden lion and telefunken and several others to try :)
 

mitch2

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Mar 28, 2016
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Will keep u posted as things evolve and tube rolling gets underway

Hello,

I am new here but following this thread since I am currently weighing M1.2 and M2.2 options. I have owned M1.1s and regret selling them, although they did sound dark and a bit rolled off in the high frequencies, particularly compared to the 300wpc Class A monoblocks that replaced them. The low bass of the M1.1s had some bloom but was still controlled...an odd combination with the best description being that the bass was a touch on the ripe side of "full" but maintained that same profile throughout all volume levels and never got out of control. The NC1200 amps I had here were the opposite and were too overly damped to sound realistic.

One thing I noticed with the M1.1s is that they never lost control as things got louder but there was a point where they simply ran out of steam and the music wouldn't go any louder. This point was way above where I typically listen but slightly limited the upper level of my occasional desire to rock-out. I suspect the M2.2 would do about the same but offer a bit louder limit point while maybe providing more control (e.g., less bloom in the bass) along the way? The only potential drawbacks being any performance deficiencies compared to the M1.2s. BTW, Vladimir was no help in deciding....."your choice" was his general response after asking about my speakers (90dB Aerials) and room, which is medium/large (18x30x9 feet) with the system set up in about 2/3 of that area.

Therefore, my thoughts and choice come down to purchasing the M1.2 knowing I will likely have about the same power performance as I did with the M1.1s, but hopefully a little more refined performance in the high frequencies and elsewhere, or trying the M2.2s to achieve the little bit extra level of power and control I am looking for (and perhaps a bit better damped bass) with a hopefully very similar sound to the M1.2s. I would go for the 2.2s as being a better power match for my speakers and room, except my hesitation being related to some comments I have read about the M2.2s sounding a bit "rougher" as the volume increases, which I presume is related to the crossover from Class A to AB. Vladimir said something similar, as I remember, being that the M1.2s remain more "linear" (I cannot remember the exact word he used here) at higher volumes, which I found odd since that implies the main sonic difference is that the M1.2s sound better than the higher powered M2.2s at higher volumes, which would be the opposite of why someone would want M2.2s. I assume then, the M2.2s are for folks with really hard to drive speakers, and/or large rooms, where the M1.2s are clearly underpowered.

Therefore awsmone, I would be very interested to hear an update on your transition from M2.2s to M1.2s, and any positives or drawbacks you perceive. Thanks for any updates.
 

LL21

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congrats! look forward to hearing how they are when you get them in. good luck and enjoy.
 

microstrip

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Welcome Mitch - great to have one more Lamm owner in WBF, this time of an hybrid. I will wait for your comments with great expectation - I am currently considering the M1.2 Reference monoblocks for my Soundlabs.
 

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