Note: This list is currently available for sale.
Price: PLN 27,000, possibility of delivery throughout Poland, listening to Wrocław. m2 and p1 after service with new lamps. Columns in a new state.
Admission
As the old audiophile adage says: the system is playing. It is difficult to disagree with it, so I decided to try to describe the systems a bit more broadly, not only their individual elements. Rather, I will not delve into the periphery like cables, but if someone is interested in it, you can always clarify.
As we know, the market today abounds in dozens, if not hundreds of larger and smaller brands – manufactories, garage productions, vintage, but also manufacturers of new devices.
The biggest challenge always seems to be finding the right speakers for a tube amplifier.
Lampheads and lampholders (as called so called) have an extremely difficult task, because the loudspeakers that sound well with the lamp are relatively few on the market. For many years, small drivers in narrow housings have been developed and popularized, which have unfriendly impedance waveforms and like a lot of electricity. Another problem is usually low efficiency.
Fortunately, when we look for a long time, there are quite a lot of speakers with lamps, and one of the undoubted discoveries of recent years is the British brand Living Voice.
Living Voice
From what I read in the depths of the Internet, the LV manufacturer used to be a DALI distributor, which were once produced on very similar Vifa converters as the later LV model.
The creator himself is also a fan of Snell speakers (I had the opportunity to exchange e-mail) and … you can feel it immediately, or rather hear it after plugging these speakers into the system.
Living Voice are not speakers that will shock the audiophile with their sound. They don’t play atomic bass, they don’t have a super shiny mountain. They are not super fast, nor do they play with powerful sound.
However, they have what is probably the most difficult – so outstanding tuning. Excellent stitching of strands, very consistent natural sound, but also exceptionally graceful drivers that love with tube amplifiers and perfectly reflect details and nuances, but more colorful than realization ones.
Let’s add to this the friendly course of impedance, relatively high efficiency (94dB according to the manufacturer’s declaration) and … it is probably clear why I reached for these packages.
Audio Note P1 SE + M2
I have already written about a very similar Audio Note here:Magic EL84: Audio Note Oto SE review, but this time we are dealing with a divided set of Audio Note P1 SE + Audio Note M2 in the version and the so-called Full wrestling, i.e. with copper signal capacitors Audio Note Copper Foil and Black Gate.
The difference in systems with a separate PRE was always big for me and the purchase of a separate preamp was one of the biggest steps in my system.
Relatively weak tube carriers, which I play with gratitude, accept the extra gain from the preamp. They always play juicier, more dynamic, and usually there is an even better scene – sometimes and timbre – here a lot depends on the nature of the preamp.
The nature of the P1 SE playing is very similar to the OTO, but as almost always, the use of an external PRE raises the sound of this device to a much higher level. Not just any preamp, although as befits an AN, the layout is quite simple.
The m2 is P1 to a higher level than here – the momentum of the game improves, the size of the scene is improved, we get much better dynamics, as if a longer potentiometer, sounds better quiet and has more kicks.
At first glance, the character is similar, but after switching from M2 to the integra, however, a lot of good escapes.
Living Voice + Audio Note
Generally, this list is almost blind with a shot at 10. I listened to Snell E2 and E3 many times from here, earlier here with Living Voice IBX-R2 and it was one of the best sets that can be submitted in my opinion a similar budget and to this type of application as I like.
Living VoiceIf we only provide them with some space around us and move them away from the back wall, they immediately repay themselves with very good holography, a beautiful scene and surprising freedom and a panache of playing.
Of course, this is not a sound that will sniff the couch under your butt, but we can easily listen to audiophile classics such as Dire Straits, Pink Floyd or Depeche Mode.
The diameter of Living Voice is in my opinion the first league. I think in this list it will be more addictive than Spendor S100, Audiophase Opium, JM Lab Mini Utopia, Klipsch Corwall, Electro Voice Delta … What can I mention … Actually, only Snell E3 and Tannoy is able to compete here with the construction that I had the opportunity to get to know better.
Neutrality, naturalness, openness at the same time, but without tiring. Lots of details on strings, trumpets, saxes. fluff, appropriate suspension of it in the air.
Living Voice are also noticeably faster than Snell. They do not have such a descent on the bass, but they are definitely much more agile and contoured. They are closer to the sound of E2 or Audio Note E / D, but they have a lot more life and such a shine in their character than the latter. They are less muddy, less chimeric and easier to apply.
An undoubted advantage of this set, apart from universality, is the price – on the secondary market, you can hunt such a combination in 25k PLN, and taking into account that we have a split pre + tip set, we jump higher than when buying any integral – even on a triode.
LV Z Audio Note is a set that allows, above all, to enjoy the music and introduces a unique atmosphere of even harmonics. We do not have to make great dynamic compromises, because the loudspeakers are easy to control and even with the 3.5W 2A3 lamp they can play perfectly.
Some time ago I recommended this list to a colleague who lives in the UK. We have known each other for many years from the vinyl forum (we have a passion for Luxman turntables) and from time to time we send ourselves videos with changes in our system.
The result was that Arek gave up the fancy, powerful set of KEF Reference 107 + Cube, driven alternately with powerful ASR Emitter HD, Luxman C03 + M03 in favor of Living Voice + Audio Note M2 and P2.
You can follow his adventures in the audio world here:
Summation
Both Audio Note and Living Voice are brands that I can recommend blindly as absolutely top price / quality products. One of the few whose prices have not yet left so that the thought of buying opens a knife in your pocket.
Of course, high AN and LV models cost a lot, but in these relatively basic models we get 80-90% of what high-end devices can do.
Such a combination is always a guarantee of fantastic diameter, juiciness, versatility and dynamics. LV and An is a system that invites the listener to listen to music, and does not look for excuses not to play something, because it will draw something more from a perfectly made album.
The audiophile and meloman world are perfectly balanced here. The price is correct, the size is suitable for classic salons 18-35 sq m. Lamps are very cheap and give you the opportunity to play. The dynamics is good, the microdynamics is very good.
Music is playing. Just that and that much.
