[frankraindog]

thanks for the information, will asked for this before pulling the trigger

 

[mourip]

For those interested in LTA products I noticed on their site that they are having a 10% off Black Friday sale through Monday...

 

[davide256]

Has anyone else tried the SotM SPS-500 power supply yet with their Zotl2? Its trouncing the HDPlex linear power supply I was using to power the Zotl, so much more impact and fullness in instruments. I don't think its going to end up connected where I originally intended...

 

[willsw]

Has anyone else tried the SotM SPS-500 power supply yet with their Zotl2? Its trouncing the HDPlex linear power supply I was using to power the Zotl, so much more impact and fullness in instruments. I don't think its going to end up connected where I originally intended...

The MZ2 has a well-documented history of scaling up with its power supply. The amp circuit reflects very transparently what is going into it in both signal and power.

 

[davide256]

In the FWIW column, after the PS upgrade I needed to change 12AT7 tubes, the Mullard 6201's were no longer as well behaved in the Zotl 2, exhibiting bass wooliness and some treble "clipping". I'm now using Siemens E81CC, a "drier" sounding tube but linear and well behaved in the treble.

 

[joespride]

MicroZotl in the house, Senn HD800 is singing. I do feel like this is the missing link. J-River > Electrocompaniet ECD-1 > MicroZotl > HD800 Sounds Fantastic, Just yesterday I was contemplating moving to speakers permanently,

 

[mourip]

I noted on the LTA web page that their new MicroZotl preamp it now available for pre-order. Looks like a very nice update for an excellent headamp/preamp: Fern and Roby case, more inputs, beefier supply, upgraded parts, single chassis, remote with balance control, discrete volume pot.

I hope to have one for testing soon.

 

[Thunder240]

Hey folks, I’m intrigued by the idea of using an MZ-2S as a preamp in my main stereo rig. For a long time, that role was played by an Adcom GFP-750, but I moved recently and it’s rightful owner took it back. For now, a spare Nuforce Icon HDP (+ Teradak LPS) is serving as preamp. It’s ok, but I know I could do better, and I’m intrigued by the reviews of the MZ-2S and it’s liquid sound.

Any owners near San Francisco who’d consider allowing me to audition? My intent would be to bring over my Nuforce for some A/B comparisons. Ideally we’d listen through speakers. If that’s not possible, I could also bring over some powered Audio Engine A2 desktop speakers.

 

[mourip]

I decided to purchase the new MicroZotl which I will use primarily as a preamp in my speaker based system.

I hope to post more impressions after I pick it up it next week but I can say that after hearing it in my home during beta testing it is a real improvement over the already excellent MZ2.

 

[doctorjazz]

I have the original MZotl (not original original, but early in the LTA run).
Tried to use it as a preamp, got intolerable hum, not sure how to correct it (likely a simple thing, but I don't know how to go about this).
Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[drbluenewmexico]

I have the original MZotl (not original original, but early in the LTA run).
Tried to use it as a preamp, got intolerable hum, not sure how to correct it (likely a simple thing, but I don't know how to go about this).
Any suggestions? Thanks

Ive had hum a few times connecting the Microzotl as a preamp. turned out to be the cables. try some different
cables to see what happens. if not, might be an impedence issue with what you are connecting to, but probably
a cable grounding issue....

 

[mourip]

I have the original MZotl (not original original, but early in the LTA run).
Tried to use it as a preamp, got intolerable hum, not sure how to correct it (likely a simple thing, but I don't know how to go about this).
Any suggestions? Thanks

Email Mark at LTA. They are remarkably responsive.

 

[Thunder240]

I decided to purchase the new MicroZotl which I will use primarily as a preamp in my speaker based system.

I hope to post more impressions after I pick it up it next week but I can say that after hearing it in my home during beta testing it is a real improvement over the already excellent MZ2.

Yes, please do share your impressions! If possible, I’d be interested in a comparison to MZ2 / MZ2-S as a preamp.

 

[mourip]

I picked up my LTA MicroZOTL Preamp on Monday and have been playing music on it for most of each day. It is a definite improvement over the already excellent MZ2. For now I will keep my impressions to its use as a preamp in a speaker system as I have been too engrossed with it to test the headphone output... which I assume will be equally improved.

The main improvements are in clarity, dynamics, and low end tightness/definition. The sound stage is deeper, wider, better defined, and has better front to back layering. It is much easier to tell which instruments are farther back in the room. Subtle details are better revealed. Dynamics induce toe tapping and have a wider range. Tonality is much more realistic/true. The background is remarkably quiet.

The good news is that it has a remote with volume, balance, and input control. It is a bit hard to set up but once done it works well.

I am using 14N7(12 volt 6SN7 equivalent) output tubes(with loctal adapter) and 7062(12AT7 with less gain) input tubes. It comes with NOS tubes but I opted to use my own tubes which I had liked the best when tube rolling the MZ2. My amp is the new LTA Ultralinear.

The new preamp is absolutely an improvement over my MZ2 and combined with the LTA Ultralinear is an end-game speaker setup for me.

 

[Thunder240]

@mourip , thank you for the comparison!

Are there any particular sonic attributes that the LTA Preamp does better than the MZ2, eg lower noise floor, wider/deeper sound stage, better imaging, faster dynamics, more euphonic, more neutral, etc?

Also, which version of the MZ2 do you have, and what power supply are you using?