The Leben CS300XS Thread - Page 13

Quote:

Originally Posted by shabta 

My Leben came today. I am a bit shocked by how great it sounds with my HD800s. Yahoo!

 

Enjoy Sir! An amp of this quality will remain in your system for years...

I just got an email that said my Leben CS300XS is on its way too.

What a delivery route!

Japan > NY > S.Cal > N.Ca.

How many listenable levels of volume steps are there?  I wont have mine for about 20-30 days, was curious about this.  The volume knob is stepped correct?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clayton SF 

I just got an email that said my Leben CS300XS is on its way too.

What a delivery route!

Japan > NY > S.Cal > N.Ca.

Hey, as long as it's in NY, you might as well tell them to take a detour and let me audition it for a few days!  You'd want to make sure the amp was properly functioning before you got it, right?

I'm listening to T1's between 8 1/2 to 9 1/2, most of the time 8 1/2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrQ 

I looked into Transformers for the UK. They are around £46 for a standard and £163 with a built-in conditioning balanced power supply. I never did get a reply to the email I sent Leben in June.

I sent before and took quite awhile for the reply. You may need to be patient. :)

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAudioDude 
Hey, as long as it's in NY, you might as well tell them to take a detour and let me audition it for a few days!  You'd want to make sure the amp was properly functioning before you got it, right?

A road tour detour, yes? Perhaps when I get little too used to the Leben "Motion Sound" I may send it back your way so that I can give my hearing a chance to recuperate--a little R&R. Until then, enjoy your GEC+IPA.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gu Sensei 

Glad I could help, but it seems you did find an excellent deal. A no-brainer of a decision to me!

Thanks again! Now that I have had it for a few days and tried it with all kinds of music, I would agree: It's a no brainer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TigzStudio 

How many listenable levels of volume steps are there?  I wont have mine for about 20-30 days, was curious about this.  The volume knob is stepped correct?

This was one of my biggest concerns before buying the amp.

While the knob is stepped it can be easily left in between steps. It is quite easy to adjust the volume to any level you like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ztsen 

 

I sent before and took quite awhile for the reply. You may need to be patient. :)

 

Thanks, will do.

Well, I got my Leben CS300xs yesterday and I have been listening to it with the Lavry DA10 as the source and the HD800.

I am currently using it with the stock tubes.

I have been comparing the headphone out on the Leben to the headphone out on the Lavry.

As far as I can tell, the detail on the Leben sounds just as good as the Lavry.

After listening to the Leben for a while, the Lavry sounds a little thin and hard etched.

The Leben on the other hand, sounds smooth and you can tell there is a tube sound but not a syrupy warm lush tube sound.

I was listening to Beevthoven's 9th and the brass horns on the Leben sound really good, but when I listened to Sinnead OConner out of the Leben, the music sounded kind of dull. I prefered Sinnead on the Lavry because her voice sounds cleanner.

Maybe this is because I have been using the Lavry as my primary headphone amp for the past 2 years and I have just grown accustomed to the Lavry sound. 

I know somebody might say that I have not let the Leben burn it yet or that I haven't listened to it long enough, but this is just my initial impression and I will continue to listen to it and to get to know it better.

As far as fit and finish on the Leben, it is superb. The unit I received, you can tell that all the components seem very rugged and built to last. It looks real nice, but the gold face plate does not match my silver or black audio components.

Overall I am very happy with this piece so far and I definitely am looking forward to tube rolling and trying it with speakers.

arnesto,

That's great that you just received your Leben and thanks for your initial impressions. When did you place your order?
 

It took exactly 16 days.

I notice again when I was listening to the Leben last night, that the vocals on the midrange on some songs doesn't have the same high resolution as the Lavry.

I am a little concerned about this. Can I get some tube recomendations that might fix this?

I don't want to spend too much, but I would like to replace the stock tubes and see if this improves the sound.