[MonkeyMan]

Hey now! Has anyone tried the Lehmann Audio Linear yet? At THIS

cost, I'm not so sure I'd be interested, but some of you may want to check it out...

 

[Shane D]

I had to pick an old deserted Lehmann Audio Linear thread and I chose this one. I think it is the oldest and my new friend will not an SE, USB or Pro model.

I have been looking to get out of tube amps for a while and it took a few months to sell my Little Dot MK9 and my Valhalla 2.
I wanted to go in a different direction than fuzzy, tube sound. I started thinking about terms like Class A, neutral, etc.
It was suggested that I look into the Lehmann Audio line by @Angel III .
I checked them out and they sell several models. The base model is $1,199.00, plus tax (15%). The SE model with all the high quality "innards" is $2,200.00, plus tax, so about $2,500.00, all in.
(In Canadian $'s.)

I found a used one online for $500.00. Very used would be the correct term as it is nine years old. Supposedly it works perfectly and looks great. I confirmed the purchase today and it will be here next week.

I am already looking at getting it upgraded as Lehmann does offer this service.

But of course I do have to get it first and then see if I like it.

My current collection consists of an iFi Pro iCAN and Violectric V220 and I am just looking for a third perspective.

If anybody currently has a Lehmann Linear and would like to post about their sleek little German box, please feel free!

 

[Ichos]

Looking forward to your impressions!

 

[Angel III]

I present to you my Black Cube Linear. Photo just taken.

 

[Shane D]

I present to you my Black Cube Linear. Photo just taken.

Very cool! Looks to be in excellent shape. Outside of the HD660S2, what other headphones do you like on it?

I suspect it may be a perfect match for the Arya's.

 

[Shane D]

I present to you my Black Cube Linear. Photo just taken.

I have noticed that a lot of these were called Black Cube. So, what are these about then?
Never mind, they are phono pre-amps.
They really love the term Black Cube.

 

[Angel III]

I like all the headphones I currently have and the next one might be the HD660s2. With the gain switches at 0dB I drive the Sony MDR-1AM2 and Austrian Audio HI-X65 well.
For the Avantone Planar I have to set the Gain to 10dB and for the HD650 18dB.
I would say that for the HiFiMAN Arya headphones they will be similar to my Avanton in pre-gain settings. The term Linear used to distinguish headphone amplifiers.

 

[Shane D]

I like all the headphones I currently have and the next one might be the HD660s2. With the gain switches at 0dB I drive the Sony MDR-1AM2 and Austrian Audio HI-X65 well.
For the Avantone Planar I have to set the Gain to 10dB and for the HD650 18dB.
I would say that for the HiFiMAN Arya headphones they will be similar to my Avanton in pre-gain settings. The term Linear used to distinguish headphone amplifiers.

With the older model I think I will only have 0, 10 and 20 options. The Arya's might be a ten, but I will start at 0. I am a quiet listener. Can't wait to try it out.

 

[headstef]

When I bought my first true hi-fi headphones, the legendary Sennheiser HD-580 Precision, I knew that enjoying music through headphones would be a lifelong passion for me. I had a Creek integrated amp (UK) at that time with a headphone output, still working fine today in my mothers system, but the headphone output of a Technics CD player sounded just us good, plus it was totally noiseless. Seven years later I found a meaningful upgrade with the then new HD-650 and as the years passed I started to explore some headphone amps (see my signature).

In early 2020 I decided to move on to better headphones - if I could find any. At the time I thought that the HD 650 was very close to "perfection" and also knew their minor disadvantages. This new search meant that my electronics sould be beyond questions. Only the best amp+dac (within reason) could reveal the limits of headphone sound. Of course I didn't like/need fancy glittering devices or romantic tube designs. Utmost transparency and accuracy is the name of the game for me. It equals musicality in my book. A few months of research and reading led me to names like Lehmann Audio, Violectric, SPL, etc. I decided to try Sennheiser's choice to present its flagships up to the HD-800 (before introducing their own amps), the Lehmann. I listened to the Linear fed by a Nagra €20k+ transport/dac combo with my humble HD-650. I was floored. I couldn't believe these headphones could sound like that, so much more natural, lifelike and timbre rich. Of course it wasn't the amp only, the digital source made all the difference but the amp readily revealed it. Lehmann Audio had just introduced after many years a new version of the Linear, the Linear II. I ordered the Linear D II, though I had listened to the older version (non II). The D stands for Digital meaning it includes a internal dac (a very high grade one), at double the price of the amp only older model, € 2,000.

For 1 or 2 years I rediscovered my music collection, still not believing the improvement. It was time for new headphones...
Enter the Neumann NDH 30. Once again floored. How can it be? Resolution, naturalness, timbre, voices, balance, sub-bass, stage - all distinctly above the HD 650 or anything else I have listened up to more than double the price and rivaling many more expensive headphones.
In the meantime the Chord Qutest dac was bought used, only to verify that the internal dac of the Lehmann is of tremendous value and class, practically indistinguishable from the Qutest. In very-very careful listenings the amp reveals that its internal dac is very slightly faster with percussion than the Qutest, and the later is very slightly richer in timbre. Or so I think when I manage to tell them apart (rare) in blind listenings because of these differences. Both, however, sound far above any other digital source at home (players and dacs) which have been too easily put in line according to their sound quality.

The Lehmann up to now has behaved as a wire with gain, giving me the impression that it reveals everything there is to reveal, and with great musicality, too.
Next stop: Sennheiser's new dynamic flagship if and when it ever appears!

 

[Angel III]

I have attached the Pre-Gain settings diagram of the current Linear which is the same as the old model, like mine (they are identical).

 

[Shane D]

When I bought my first true hi-fi headphones, the legendary Sennheiser HD-580 Precision, I knew that enjoying music through headphones would be a lifelong passion for me. I had a Creek integrated amp (UK) at that time with a headphone output, still working fine today in my mothers system, but the headphone output of a Technics CD player sounded just us good, plus it was totally noiseless. Seven years later I found a meaningful upgrade with the then new HD-650 and as the years passed I started to explore some headphone amps (see my signature).

In early 2020 I decided to move on to better headphones - if I could find any. At the time I thought that the HD 650 was very close to "perfection" and also knew their minor disadvantages. This new search meant that my electronics sould be beyond questions. Only the best amp+dac (within reason) could reveal the limits of headphone sound. Of course I didn't like/need fancy glittering devices or romantic tube designs. Utmost transparency and accuracy is the name of the game for me. It equals musicality in my book. A few months of research and reading led me to names like Lehmann Audio, Violectric, SPL, etc. I decided to try Sennheiser's choice to present its flagships up to the HD-800 (before introducing their own amps), the Lehmann. I listened to the Linear fed by a Nagra €20k+ transport/dac combo with my humble HD-650. I was floored. I couldn't believe these headphones could sound like that, so much more natural, lifelike and timbre rich. Of course it wasn't the amp only, the digital source made all the difference but the amp readily revealed it. Lehmann Audio had just introduced after many years a new version of the Linear, the Linear II. I ordered the Linear D II, though I had listened to the older version (non II). The D stands for Digital meaning it includes a internal dac (a very high grade one), at double the price of the amp only older model, € 2,000.

For 1 or 2 years I rediscovered my music collection, still not believing the improvement. It was time for new headphones...
Enter the Neumann NDH 30. Once again floored. How can it be? Resolution, naturalness, timbre, voices, balance, sub-bass, stage - all distinctly above the HD 650 or anything else I have listened up to more than double the price and rivaling many more expensive headphones.
In the meantime the Chord Qutest dac was bought used, only to verify that the internal dac of the Lehmann is of tremendous value and class, practically indistinguishable from the Qutest. In very-very careful listenings the amp reveals that its internal dac is very slightly faster with percussion than the Qutest, and the later is very slightly richer in timbre. Or so I think when I manage to tell them apart (rare) in blind listenings because of these differences. Both, however, sound far above any other digital source at home (players and dacs) which have been too easily put in line according to their sound quality.

The Lehmann up to now has behaved as a wire with gain, giving me the impression that it reveals everything there is to reveal, and with great musicality, too.
Next stop: Sennheiser's new dynamic flagship if and when it ever appears!

Cool story!

 

[Shane D]

I have attached the Pre-Gain settings diagram of the current Linear which is the same as the old model, like mine (they are identical).

I think the old ones only had three settings. Trying to find info on this amp I went back to, I think, 2004. There is really not much out there. This amp is low profile, even within the headphone community.

The pictures the guy put up on the web site suck and there are no pics of the gain switches. He doesn't have the box, but he does have a manual.

The seller bought this amp new in 2015.

 

[Shane D]

I do wonder if this amp might be a bit bright with my Grado's?

 

[Angel III]

My Linear is from 2009.

 

[Shane D]

My Linear is from 2009.

OK then. I will have to wait and check it out.
So, yours still works perfect? Have you replaced any capacitors or anything else?