REVIEW: Lisa III prototype - new portable amp by Phil Larocco

[Skylab]

I have been given the priviledge of auditioning a prototype of the Lisa III, a new portable/transportable amp from amp designer Phil Larocco. It came yesterday, and I have to say I have not been able to stop listening to it since it arrived.

The Lisa III runs on 2 9V batteries, and is based on the AD744 op amp. It includes a bass contour control. And for those who have not followed this saga, Phil Larocco has no affiliation anymore with Larocco Audio. The Lisa III will be build and sold by a different company, and Phil has stipulated that the amps will not go on sale until they are built and in stock. THAT is a nice business model to have, and should put this new effort in the same camp business model as the better amp vendors we know, and not plague the Lisa III with the problems that Larocco Audio the company has.

I have auditioned and reviewed more than 20 portable amps over the last 6 months. And I can say, without hesitation, that this is the best portable amp I have ever heard, and that is easily sounds better than some home amps I have heard. The amp has incredible transparency - the best I have ever heard from an amp that runs on batteries. It has an incredibly open, inviting sound, without being the least bit hyped, edgy, or etched. It is defintely a little warmer and more organic than the PRII mk II, and yet is possibly just a little more detailed.

That said, the Lisa III is also going to be BIG - maybe too big to be compared to other portable amps. It's a 3-channel amp running off 18V, and it's perhaps better described as "transportable". I know the Lisa III will be a bit large for a lot of people for portable use - Phil says the production version will be approx the same height and width as a PRII but 25% longer. A quote from Phil:

Originally Posted by ppl
note lisa iii comes in 2 sizes the expedition and the Basic LISA III the difference is the Expedition operates off a massive AA battery pack with 2000 MAh of capacity. This Amp is thus bigger than the standard Lisa iii by height and is twice as heavy. the standard LISA iii is the same height and width as the PR II however 2.5 inches longer. The Expedition is intended as a Transportable amp with Long operating time and Audiophile Quality sound.

The variable bass boost on the Lisa III seems to have more "effect" than the PRII's does, such that it changes the sound more noticably. This will serve to add more bass to headphones that need it, although I confess I prefer the slightly more subtle impact of the PRII's bass control. But the Lisa III really doesn't need bass boosting with the headphones I have tried it with (Denon D5000, Sennheiser HD25-1), so maybe the higher-impact bass contour is actually a good thing if the Lisa III is used with a wider variety of headphones.

I hate to gush, but yesterday I spent a bunch of time writing up a review of a home amp made in China that really underwhelmed me. I never really enjoyed the music I was listening to on it. While listening to the Lisa II, I kept thinking "Oh My GOD that sounds good!". That is what this hobby is all about for me.

The bass is of course quite tailorable in terms of quantity, but the quality is excellent - it's well defined, tight, and has good "speed" of attack. And it's as deep as your headphones can muster, to be sure. And that control knob means you can have as much of it as you want. For my Denon D5000's it was best left off. For Sennheiser HD580's, though, I liked the bass control at about 1/3 "on".

The midrange is open, lush, inviting, and very transparent. It's not the least bit too aggressive, but it isn't at all recessed either. I guess that makes it neutral, but not in a sterile way - it's "good neutral". If anything, perhaps it's just a touch warm. That's a good way to be.

And oh, those highs. SOOOO very clean, extended, airy, sweet, detailed...the treble is so much better than most portable amps. Only RSA amps and the PRII are in the same league, based on what I have heard so far. And I'd say the extension and airieness is even better on the LisaIII than any of these. Not night-and-day better, mind you, but better.

The soundstage is also exceptionally good -- nicely deep, wide, and fleshed out.

I compared it to the Larocco PRII mk II, and it sounds better to me that the PRII. It has a quieter backgroung, has a more lush, liquid midrange, and has that same etheral, detailed-but-butter-smooth treble that the PRII has. It also has slightly deeper and better defined bass than the PRII. Since the PRII was my very favorite portable amp, this is saying a lot.

The LisaIII could be used with a power supply and would make a good crossover amp that can be used on the road as well as in the home. I compared it to the Meier Aria, and I felt the Aria was slightly better in almost every area, although the LisaIII was a little warmer overall, and it more than holds its own to this fine home amp.

And I have been listening only to the "Basic" Lisa III! But it sounds so good I will probably use it as a portable...when I am able to get my grubby paws on a production unit. I will have to send this one back soon...sniff...I will miss it.

Here are some pics of the prototype:





Note that the lovely wood case is custom of Phil's and I doubt is going to be an official offering. Sounds like the LisaIII will be a commerical reality this summer - I can't wait!

[TzeYang]

best part of this amp, PPL showed everyone the schematics!!! How honest and awesome can this be?

[brn80]

Thanks for the impressions Skylab! Looks to be an interesting amp indeed. I was following the thread on headwize hoping for updates.

And you said the magic word... bass

[Skylab]

Originally Posted by brn80

Thanks for the impressions Skylab! Looks to be an interesting amp indeed. I was following the thread on headwize hoping for updates.

And you said the magic word... bass

Yes, this amp can truly provide as much bass as the user desires. It is very flexible in that regard in how it will interface with various headphones, and can also have a little oomph added if people are listening at lower levels.

[d-cee]

is there a link to the headwize thread?

am i right in assuming PCBs and kits will also be available alongside the completed product?

[nickknutson]

Great Review! Do you have any pictures?

[blessingx]

Please keep the impressions coming. Been following news over at IPAstudio and been very curious.

[Loftprojection]

Very interesting Skylab, you are becoming THE reference for amps!

Have you ever tried the RSA XP-7? From what you write up to now, seems to me like this new LisaIII will be in the same "bracket" as the RSA XP-7 for size and probably price. Does it have RCA input plugs or a mini?

[Skylab]

I added some pics:

[Wildcard30]

Wow thanks for the great write up and boy does that look nice.

[nickknutson]

Interesting. You could get cases for the Lisa III to match your Darth's!

[brn80]

Originally Posted by d-cee

is there a link to the headwize thread?

am i right in assuming PCBs and kits will also be available alongside the completed product?

My bad; on checking the bookmark again, it was actually at ipastudio.
http://ipastudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3027

Didn't pay too much attention to the site name just kept track of updates. Well it seems I haven't been up to date on there since the Head-Fi meet, as I see there's a lot more stuff in that thread from the last time I visited.

[kiwirugby]

Thanks, Skylab for your continuous reviews of these amps.

My one question is, how truly portable is this amp, especially compared with the Tomahawk and Hornet from Ray and Xin's set of three amps, for example? I guess the basic issue or choice here is size-to-sound ratio.

[Skylab]

There is no doubt that the Lisa III will be big. That is why it may be best viewed as a "transportable". But this will be hard to know until the production units are available.

[GreenLeo]

Can Lisa III work with E500 with no hiss?