Lamm LL2.1 Deluxe Preamplifier review from The Soundstage.com...
 

It received a Reviewer's Choice award. Here's the link: Lamm LL2.1 Deluxe Preamplifier

http://www.lammindustries.com/PICS/LL2.1/LL21_Front.jpg

http://www.lammindustries.com/PICS/LL2.1/LL21_Rear.jpg

http://www.lammindustries.com/PICS/L...1_internal.jpg

http://www.lammindustries.com/PICS/L...nt%20angle.jpg

Lamm ll2.1 deluxe
 

I bought one of these recently to replace an ARC Ls26. In my system the Lamm is performing much better, better bass extension, extended soundstage and precise imaging. OTOH I feel it is more noisy than the Ls26.
Cheers,
Sid

Sid, welcome aboard! :wave:

Thanks Chessman - Pleasure to be a part of the fastest growing forum!:D
Cheers,
Sid

Sid... Welcome! :pg2:

Thanks a lot Ivan. Awesome forum! Looking forward to learning a lot from the Guru's here, such as yourself.
Cheers,
Sid

Welcome, Sid.

It should not be noisier, as both preamps have a reputation for being unusually quiet for tubed designs :scratch2:

I have an LL2 Deluxe, which is more susceptible to noise issues than the 2.1, and any noise has resulted from tubes (which may include dirty pins), grounding, or cables. Never the preamp itself. So worth playing around to reduce the noise, which should be achievable. And shoot off an email to Lamm for their input, which I am sure they will provide.

Thanks Glisse. I believe it has more to do with amplifier matching. When I changed amps. from my current SS amp. to tube monoblocks the noise floor was very low - almost inaudible, but it is elevated when I put the SS amp. back in the loop. Regardless the pre-amp. sounds excellent and I am ok with the noise level which is inaudible from my listening position 8' away and is not noticeable unless I get to about 2' distance from the speakers.
Cheers,
Sid

Sounds like a ground issue then, maybe worth just connecting a wire from the earth socket on the Lamm to a chassis point on the SS power amp to see if it drops the noise floor. Or try a different IC.

For me, too high a noise floor can interfere with the subtle harmonic decays that add to sound staging and involvement with the music, even if the noise itself isn't that obvious. And it is a great preamp, as you say, so worth trying to get the best out of it :thumbsup:

This thread reminded me just how much I enjoyed my time with the Lamm LL2D preamp and the M1.2 Hybrids... :music: