Leben CS300 xs - amplifier of the year - French Magazine

odyssey

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Folks


The Leben CS-300X(S) won the GOLD Medal from French hi-fi magazine "Diapason"

LEBEN CS300X - Excerpt of the review by Diapason magazine France. WINNER DIAPASON GOLD MEDAL 2010

Faithful to the look and spirit of the end of the 1960S, this small integrated tube amplifier is full of charm with its large controls and its bass boost (which allows us to increase the low frequency level 3 or 5 dB, for low level listening)
Entirely designed in Japan by Taku HYODO, with the circuits are point to point soldered, with incomparable quality. This puts us in the domain of the un- measurable, or more precisely, where the human ear takes over with its sensibility.
Power is left to 4 EL84 tubes and 2 signal tubes, 5751. We are offered 5 line inputs and loudspeaker outputs of 4, 6 and 8 ohm (changeable, to suit your loudspeaker).
We find here, the magic of the best tube amplifiers, particularly the richness and transparency and the superb ability to portray instruments and voices. The recording of the New Years concert, directed by George Prtre in Vienna has a remarkable savour of the woodwind instruments, these obviously benefit from the amplifiers tonal qualities, but also the expressiveness and extraordinary fluidity of the music. Curiously, the B and W 804N loudspeakers are relatively well controlled.
The most remarkable is the way in which this little amplifier retains the emotional dimension of the interpretations. An excellent performance in this price range.
 
Folks


The Leben CS-300X(S) won the GOLD Medal from French hi-fi magazine "Diapason"

LEBEN CS300X - Excerpt of the review by Diapason magazine France. WINNER DIAPASON GOLD MEDAL 2010

Faithful to the look and spirit of the end of the 1960S, this small integrated tube amplifier is full of charm with its large controls and its bass boost (which allows us to increase the low frequency level 3 or 5 dB, for low level listening)
Entirely designed in Japan by Taku HYODO, with the circuits are point to point soldered, with incomparable quality. This puts us in the domain of the un- measurable, or more precisely, where the human ear takes over with its sensibility.Power is left to 4 EL84 tubes and 2 signal tubes, 5751. We are offered 5 line inputs and loudspeaker outputs of 4, 6 and 8 ohm (changeable, to suit your loudspeaker).
We find here, the magic of the best tube amplifiers, particularly the richness and transparency and the superb ability to portray instruments and voices. The recording of the New Years concert, directed by George Prtre in Vienna has a remarkable savour of the woodwind instruments, these obviously benefit from the amplifiers tonal qualities, but also the expressiveness and extraordinary fluidity of the music. Curiously, the B and W 804N loudspeakers are relatively well controlled.
The most remarkable is the way in which this little amplifier retains the emotional dimension of the interpretations. An excellent performance in this price range.

Awesome ! I always had very good experience with the Leban amplifiers. The 600 at Arj's and once the 300 at Sridhar's place. A very good example of how you need to go much beyond mass produced, nice measuring circuit boards neatly placed into a heavy brushed aluminum chassis if you want to recreate the musical event in your home.

Great going !
 
The 600 at Arj's and once the 300 at Sridhar's place.

If I am not too mistaken, the CS300 you heard at ARN with Sridhar now belongs to me :). Sridhar opened the box after its arrival at ARN to test its drive with whatever speakers there because we were not 100% sure (this was perhaps the first CS300 dealt by ARN, not CS300X or CS300XS). He sent a SMS to me to express his happiness about the drive. I immediately called back and Sridhar told me you were there too.

Regards.
 
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If I am not too mistaken, the CS300 you heard at ARN with Sridhar now belongs to me :). Sridhar opened the box after its arrival at ARN to test its drive with whatever speakers there because we were not 100% sure (this was perhaps the first CS300 dealt by ARN, not CS300X or CS300XS). He sent a SMS to me to express his happiness about the drive. I immediately called back and Sridhar told me you were there too.

Regards.

Yes. It is the same one Asit :) Lovely amp.
 
Sridhar, thanks again for the review in hifi + you sent me a while back. Great to know the 300XS has garnered another award. Have been doing my sums lately ...
 
I am playing Leben 300xs with Zu Omen. The amp has done 10 hours and still burning in. The combo is sounding beautiful with lot of pace and life.
Cheers
 
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