This is a direct clone from what I compare to the image from web where as m-stage is slightly moded version.
I have own the above for about 2 weeks and it drive my HD800 and T1 very well, a lot better than my moded maverick audio D1. The only draw back is the heatsink is very hot that I have to stand it up from it's PCB mounting position (just like how m-stage mod their version) to avoid cookingthe cap next to it. Other mod I did was replace the 6 small 470uf to 1000uf green muse nichicon, direct signal in wiring to the volumn pot by passing the input caps cos I knew my DAC out already have coupling caps, and change the opamps to LM4562.
This is a direct clone from what I compare to the image from web where as m-stage is slightly moded version.
I have own the above for about 2 weeks and it drive my HD800 and T1 very well, a lot better than my moded maverick audio D1. The only draw back is the heatsink is very hot that I have to stand it up from it's PCB mounting position (just like how m-stage mod their version) to avoid cookingthe cap next to it. Other mod I did was replace the 6 small 470uf to 1000uf green muse nichicon, direct signal in wiring to the volumn pot by passing the input caps cos I knew my DAC out already have coupling caps, and change the opamps to LM4562.
Here u are:
If size fits, fine gold series is better cap. May be swap out the bottom most 2 caps for the opamps to FG or KZ. Thinking of swap out the 2 4700uf vishay to same capacity Elna. Also, rebolt the heatsink before you solder new caps in as it will be very difficult to tighten the screw if the caps is in place.
I have both matrix m-stage and Lehmann BCL and I can assure you that m-stage is not a BCL clone, even with OPA 627 mod. Simply put the difference is a day and night.
Mac Pro 6 core Westmere 3.33 16g Ram > Weiss Dac2(firewire) > Lehmann BCL > Sen HD800
Well, first of all it's clarity and refinement. Lehmann BCL does not have any accents and colors (in good way). I would say it's kind of neutral. But you can hear every nuance of the sound mix
The drum cymbals are articulate and precise and they come to your ear with no "sand" . The musical instruments separation is phenomenal and they are in their own layers.
Matrix m-stage is not bad, but for some reason it does not like my Sennheiser HD800. The trebles are harsh, the mids are smothered and not natural, the bass is a little exaggerated .
My AKG K-240 did not hate the m-stage though ,but they're not as transparent as the HD800 , or maybe it's AKG 600 ohm impedance that m-stage likes better than HD800's 300 ohm.
The setup was Mac Pro > Weiss Dac2 hooked to Mac's firewire port > Lehmann BCL > HD800
Mac Pro > Weiss Dac2 > Matriix m-stage > HD800 / AKG K-240
Again it's the matter of personal perception, but to my taste Matrix m-stage can't be called Lehmann BCL's clone. They are completely different in any aspects.
P.S. Matrix m-stage was tested with OPA 627 mod with gain switch 0db and 10db. With 10db gain the drums sound a little better, but the mids got more compressed than in 0db
Well, first of all it's clarity and refinement. Lehmann BCL does not have any accents and colors (in good way). I would say it's kind of neutral. But you can hear every nuance of the sound mix
The drum cymbals are articulate and precise and they come to your ear with no "sand" . The musical instruments separation is phenomenal and they are in their own layers.
Matrix m-stage is not bad, but for some reason it does not like my Sennheiser HD800. The trebles are harsh, the mids are smothered and not natural, the bass is a little exaggerated .
My AKG K-240 did not hate the m-stage though ,but they're not as transparent as the HD800 , or maybe it's AKG 600 ohm impedance that m-stage likes better than HD800's 300 ohm.
The setup was Mac Pro > Weiss Dac2 hooked to Mac's firewire port > Lehmann BCL > HD800
Mac Pro > Weiss Dac2 > Matriix m-stage > HD800 / AKG K-240
Again it's the matter of personal perception, but to my taste Matrix m-stage can't be called Lehmann BCL's clone. They are completely different in any aspects.
P.S. Matrix m-stage was tested with OPA 627 mod with gain switch 0db and 10db. With 10db gain the drums sound a little better, but the mids got more compressed than in 0db
Thank you for your feedback on this topic. I bought the Lehmann because I didn't want to spend $300 on the M-Stage and not be happy and then buy the Lehmann. I'm glad the see I made the right choice.
I think the LBC is just about the most overpriced amp I've heard; there's been two at half the price that sounded as good or better to me. I think the Meier Concerto is a far superior product, with a smaller price tag.
However, I've also come to prefer mid fi phones, so a top shelf amp is wasted on my gear and tastes. So a warm amp with enough grunt to run my 400ohm phones is my main criteria, and the M stage is one of the best I've heard for the money. I've heard a few chinese amps at that mark, and they've been pretty ordinary. I even own another LBC clone, the HEF188 - and the M-stage is a far superior product. Warmer sounding and plenty of useable power and volume, via the gain options. the HEF internal gain is set way too high, with no option to change it, and has no fine volume control whatsoever, even with my high ohm phones.
Sure, there's better out there, but not everyone wants the ultimate, they want something that works with what they have and what they like, without going crazy trying to afford it.
I guess I am one of the few people who actually have both the M-Stage (original 2134 and 2x 627) and the BCL. I have to say that the difference in sound quality is very apparent to my ears, as the BCL is the better amp in every aspect for me. I don't know how Lehmann Audio pulls this off, because just by looking at the pictures of both amps one would assume that they are the same. They're not when you can compare them side by side! I am listening to Kenny Barron and Charlie Haden ("Night and the city") right now: the piano sounds richer, high notes have a nice sparkle to them and are in no way sharp, Haden's bass is powerful.... Simply put: it's immersive and life-like. I don't want to say that the M-Stage is a bad amp, because it simply isn't. It offers great value for what you have to pay, but it is NOT a clone of the Black Cube Linear. To me, the BCL allows for a more realistic experience of music.
Base on this PCB, I've reinvent a new amp, and it sounds 100 times better for me (100x because in the original form it doesn't sound at all).
Lehmann Audio BCL in the original form (with every possible op-amp) is one of the worse A-class amp I had - the only one worse was Beyerdynamic A1 (which I "reinvent" too).
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