Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

hearditontheX said:
Apologies for derailing the topic of the moment, but I just wanted to take the opportunity to remind folks how great Keith at Darlington Labs is to deal with. My MP-7 was taking longer than expected to ship so I reached out to him. He was prompt and courteous with his reply. It turns out the delay works significantly in my favor and that Keith is very generous.
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I believe I’m in a similar boat. I got a shipping notification on 1/9 stating that a label was created, but no movement as of yet. I am beyond excited to get mine.
 
MattHasIdeas said:
I believe I’m in a similar boat. I got a shipping notification on 1/9 stating that a label was created, but no movement as of yet. I am beyond excited to get mine.
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I ordered an MP7 last week. Keith emailed and told me I’d be receiving an MP7B model. An updated version that supports MC and it would be about 3 weeks to deliver.

You all may be receiving updated models as well.
 
Can someone smarter than I help me understand the ramifications of replacing my NAD C 316BEE with this bad boy? I'm guessing I would lose my ability to stream music from my BluOS and listen to movies through my speakers as well via my NAD's AUX jack?

Would there be a way to have the best of the both worlds?

parttimeaudiophile.com

LSA VT-70 Integrated Amplifier | REVIEW

Hi-Fi news, gear reviews, and interviews
parttimeaudiophile.com parttimeaudiophile.com
 
Ghost said:
Can someone smarter than I help me understand the ramifications of replacing my NAD C 316BEE with this bad boy? I'm guessing I would lose my ability to stream music from my BluOS and listen to movies through my speakers as well via my NAD's AUX jack?

Would there be a way to have the best of the both worlds?

parttimeaudiophile.com

LSA VT-70 Integrated Amplifier | REVIEW

Hi-Fi news, gear reviews, and interviews
parttimeaudiophile.com parttimeaudiophile.com
Click to expand...
It looks pretty sweet. You can always add a node if you need the multi room use of BluOS or add a wiim product to stream, it doesn’t appear to have a dac so you probably want to go wiim pro plus, the wiim has a line in too so if you are using all three line ins you could add tv through it.
 
Ghost said:
Can someone smarter than I help me understand the ramifications of replacing my NAD C 316BEE with this bad boy? I'm guessing I would lose my ability to stream music from my BluOS and listen to movies through my speakers as well via my NAD's AUX jack?

Would there be a way to have the best of the both worlds?

parttimeaudiophile.com

LSA VT-70 Integrated Amplifier | REVIEW

Hi-Fi news, gear reviews, and interviews
parttimeaudiophile.com parttimeaudiophile.com
Click to expand...

All three of the inputs are at line level so you can pretty much plug anything into all 3 of them regardless of one being labeled CD. If you’re not using all 3 for music and you’re currently connecting the movies with RCA cables you can definitely still do that.
 
Ghost said:
Can someone smarter than I help me understand the ramifications of replacing my NAD C 316BEE with this bad boy? I'm guessing I would lose my ability to stream music from my BluOS and listen to movies through my speakers as well via my NAD's AUX jack?

Would there be a way to have the best of the both worlds?

parttimeaudiophile.com

LSA VT-70 Integrated Amplifier | REVIEW

Hi-Fi news, gear reviews, and interviews
parttimeaudiophile.com parttimeaudiophile.com
Click to expand...
Not answering your question, but that “bad boy” isn’t. Check Stereophile’s review. It didn’t meet published specs in regards to output power. It made a paltry 7 watts per channel if I recall correctly.

Edit for quote from Stereophile’s measurements:

“LSA specifies the VT-70's maximum power as 35Wpc into 8 ohms (15.44dBW), which is what I would expect from a push-pull pair of EL34 tubes operated in Ultralinear mode. (The traces in figs.5–7 were taken with the left channel but with both channels operating.) With our usual definition of clipping—when the THD+noise reaches 1%—and with both channels driven, I measured a clipping power of just 7Wpc from the 8 ohm tap into 8 ohms (8.45dBW, fig.5) and the same from the 4 ohm tap into 4 ohms (5.45dBW, fig.6). Relaxing the clipping definition to 3% THD+N gave output powers of 25.3Wpc from the 8 ohm tap into 8 ohms (14.0dBW) and 28.45Wpc from the 4 ohm tap into 4 ohms (11.53dBW). The shape of the traces in these graphs suggests that the amplifier uses a limited amount of loop negative feedback. With the 4 ohm tap driving 8 ohms (fig.7), 1% THD+N was reached at 19.5Wpc (12.9dBW) and 3% THD+N at 27Wpc (14.3dBW). More significantly, the THD+N was lower at low powers than it had been with the load matched to the nominal transformer tap.”

So it makes 7 watts per channel at 1% distortion, and 25 watts at 3%. It’s not hard to get 35 watts from a quad of EL34 output tubes- it’s been done ad nauseum since the late ‘50s. I suspect wimpy transformers in the LSA are the culprit.
 
HiFi Guy said:
Not answering your question, but that “bad boy” isn’t. Check Stereophile’s review. It didn’t meet published specs in regards to output power. It made a paltry 7 watts per channel if I recall correctly.
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Are you sure its this one? Just read the review and perhaps I glazed over it but they reviewed it rather glowingly and included it in their 2023 recommended components list. Saying things like:

"for $1299 ($100 more once the intro price expires), you've got yourself a su-weet-sounding tube amplifier that has no glaring faults."

"I confess that an admiring F-bomb escaped my lips when the music started: The VT-70 produced possibly the best-reproduced male voice I've ever heard in my listening room."

Or are you saying these wouldn't be compatible with Wharfedale Lintons?

LSA VT-70 integrated amplifier Page 2

Like most tube amps, the LSA looks best without its protective cage, especially at night. There's something cool and comforting about seeing those fiery filaments out in the open. Besides, tube life may be extended when air can move freely around the hot glass. It's possible.
www.stereophile.com www.stereophile.com
 
Ghost said:
Are you sure its this one? Just read the review and perhaps I glazed over it but they reviewed it rather glowingly and included it in their 2023 recommended components list. Saying things like:

"for $1299 ($100 more once the intro price expires), you've got yourself a su-weet-sounding tube amplifier that has no glaring faults."

"I confess that an admiring F-bomb escaped my lips when the music started: The VT-70 produced possibly the best-reproduced male voice I've ever heard in my listening room."

Or are you saying these wouldn't be compatible with Wharfedale Lintons?

LSA VT-70 integrated amplifier Page 2

Like most tube amps, the LSA looks best without its protective cage, especially at night. There's something cool and comforting about seeing those fiery filaments out in the open. Besides, tube life may be extended when air can move freely around the hot glass. It's possible.
www.stereophile.com www.stereophile.com
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Definitely positive it’s the same amp. The reviewer loved it but it bombed on the test bench.

Many aren’t aware but every single product reviewed at Stereophile lands somewhere on their recommended list- rated somewhere between A+ down to D.

It’s not a good match for the Lintons. I wouldn’t buy it at all. But you might like it. Just be aware of what you are getting, which in my opinion isn’t much.
 
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