LEBEN CS600 OR CS300X

Well, I did own a stingray for a short time. I really would not put it in the same league as the lm audio. It was ok for it's price point, but not an over achiever like the LM. And to clarify, the LM is only $1650.

I have a pair of Devore Nines, and recently owned a Leben CS300. For reference , I do also own a Nait XS and ARC 100 watt amp. That said, I did not find the CS300 had enough power for all types of music. Simple music, yes, it was fine. But I like to rock out occasionally, and the Leben did not have the power for that. I replaced it with a new EL34 amp being imported by the same folks who import Shindo and Leben (Tone Imports?). It is a high quality Chinese made amp by LM Audio. I bought it from Don Better Audio for $1650, plus another $50 for upgraded input tubes. This amp is triode/ultralinear switchable for 15/32 watts, and has plenty of power for the Nines. I upgraded the tubes to KT77's for another $200, and it sounds great! But it was great even before the KT77's. If you Google LM Audio, you can check out the company. I see them as a Chinese Shindo. I have owned a few Shindo pieces, and am VERY impressed the LM Audio amp. You cannot go wrong with this amp. Plus it has remote control! That is important to me. I want to be able to adjust volume from my listening position, because with really nice gear, things just seem to really "click" with the right volume level.

I had an Auriges and Montille to start, and then upgraded to a Masseto.
I find my LM amp has plenty of juice to drive the Nines to any level I need, and it does not sound stressed doing it. The Nines are pretty easy to drive. That is one reason I really like them.
Regarding the amp, it is very detailed, transparent, musical, dynamic, rhythmic, and involving. Amazing for $1650.

Well, I have to respectfully disagree on an Almarro 205 being able to really drive the Nines for dynamic music. I have owned two 205's, and the larger Almarro single ended amp. The bigger one does drive the Nines decently, but the 205 will suffice only on pretty quiet music. The 205 is a great amp, but it runs out of steam pretty quickly. Or maybe I just like my music louder than most? I listen in the 75-82 db range.

Actually, I think my LM Audio amp is very nice for $7k, but it only cost $1650. I really think it has advantages over my old Montille. I love the Montille, but this sounds great also, and has 32 watts per channel! I would not choose a CS300 over this, quite the opposite. I suppose there are those who would disagree, but they have a horse in this race. I strongly suggest anyone looking for a low power tube amp look at these LM Audio amps. They really convey the essence of the music, with a natural tone only good tubes provide. I also find I am a big fan of the KT77 tube.

I would say that the Leben has a certain cache, a physical beauty, sense of style, IMO, that the LM does not have. But the LM looks functionally fine, is very solidly constructed, and, not sure if I said this yet, sounds GREAT. I would call it an industrial look.