Leben CS600 Owners - Help

Well, I only had it for a week, and haven't yet opened the top plate, so it's been the stock 6L6GC. I will enjoy the current setting for a while and will experiment EL34 (which I look forward to very much) after I get some clear ideas of the current sound.

I bought the speakers first so I don't have much experience with other speakers with CS600. The comparison of CS300XS/CS600 was done with Lawrence Audio Violin, driven by AMR DP-777. The results were consistent with what I have now.

My purchase of M30.1 was based on the reviews of course and also on my fond memory with P3-ES2 that I had for a while. Although it lacked the bass and scale compared to Proac 2.5, the midrange was fabulous.

So what are the improvements of the current system compared to my other Proac-based system? The key areas are:

(a) Smoother midrange/highs with reduced grain around the voice/instruments. More air.
(b) Deep deep sound stage, but this may be in part attributed to the fact that I can place the speakers well into the room (5 ft from the back wall) which was not possible in my US home living room.
(c) More "authoritative" bass. I wouldn't call it tighter, but weighty yet well defined. It's hard to describe, but it sounds more realistic without feeling muddy. I've been thinking about this matter lately. Although we all seek for "tight" bass, when you go to the jazz concert the bass sound is actually not that tight.

In my 20+ years of this hobby, the most memorable upgrade was changing Adcom GFP-555 to Melos SHA-Gold. I had never expected that a preamp alone could make such a difference. The Leben CS600 upgrade will now be put on near top of my list. Saying this in comparison with a system that is more than decent in any audiophile standards should be quite a testament. I realize I am sounding like a salesperson, but I am in no way affiliated with Leben or any companies mentioned. Just a music lover enjoying good sound.

Well, I wish I could retract my posting!! (If moderator can do it, please go ahead). It turns out the noise was only happening when the amp was placed within the media rack. I live in a furnished house with a decent sturdy media furniture (I wouldn't have bought such a thing but it was still decent from audiophile standard). After I removed the silly back plate (you know, with a tiny cable hole), the amp compartment becomes a cubic-shape tunnel, with four sides blocked and front and rear surface open. This particular configuration must have generated some kind of resonance. After I took the amp out on the floor, it became dead quiet. Oh well...

If I may add a few more cents, CS600 is a fabulous amp! I am driving Harbeth M30.1 (which is also awesome!). I was a bit worried about the low rated power considering the low sensitivity of M30.1, but it was not a problem at all to fill my 5m x 7m living room (with the space behind the listener wide open). Moreover, the lush/silky midrange was quite expected, but I was most impressed about how it reproduced acoustic bass with such weight and authority! Now I understand why so many people were talking about Leben.

BTW, I had a chance to side-by-side audition CS600 with CS300X. While CS300X had the same and perhaps a bit better midrange, which was understandable at the time as my CS600 was right out of the box, CS600 clearly stood out with bigger soundstage and scale. Overall, I am so glad that I spent the extra money for more power, especially for my Harbeth.

Many Harbeth owners who are hesitant to try this low powered amp, rest assured that you will have more than enough juice, unless you want to crank up the Zarathustra.

Thank you all for the kind words and further input.

Xmuavah, I suggest that you try to place CS600 on a sturdy platform, either directly on the floor or an amp stand. I suspect that the hum will be reduced.

Oddmorning, I'm a big fan of ECM label. The M30.1/CS600 combo made some obscure (and somewhat uninteresting) ECM music come alive by rendering the live studio in front of me.

Donjr, please don't go to that route (IMHO). I heard good words about Rogue Cronus Magnum, which I'm sure is a fine product, but there's so much you can expect for the budget. I'm an expat and in my US home I have Audible Illusions M3A -> CJ MV-60 -> Proac 2.5. The system is comparable to my new system in retail price (at the time), but I never got this kind of sound. I also seriously thought about Hegel H300 as a second amp in case I need more bass and power, but I completely changed my mind now. I'm still interested in Hegel H25 DAC though.