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Lyngdorf TDAI-3400

Well, after reading all the rave reviews of the Lyngdorf TDAI-2170 both here and other places, I decided to order a TDAI-3400 for myself.  I must admit I am still skeptical that such a diminutive piece of equipment can sound better than the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP tube amp weighing more than 50 lbs, but I have been so intrigued by everything I have read I simply had to pull the trigger. 
I just unboxed it today, hooked everything up, and am listening to it for a while before setting up Room Perfect. 
I really want to hear the what the amp sounds like as-is for a bit to understand it better. 
First impressions:  Without Room Perfect it sounds like very nice solid state amps I've owned in the past, but to be honest, I don't find the sound to be particularly moving.  I moved to tubes after years of solid state, and I swore I would never go back.  That is where I'm coming from.  I should also add that I always try to keep an open mind.  While my initial take on it might sound like I don't like it, I hope folks just read this as me being as honest as possible about what I hear.  I know the tendency when buying new gear is to want so badly to love it in order to justify the expense that it's easy to fool oneself into believing it's an improvement over what you had before, even when it's not.  Of course I really want it to be as mind blowing as it has been built up in my mind to be, but if it's not I am OK with simply moving back to what I have liked so far.   
I have only been playing records through it so far.  Analog makes up 98% of my listening so that's where I am starting with it.  I have a nice CD transport that I will connect to it in the next day or so just to hear the DAC in the unit.  I will also experiment with playing files from USB sticks, computer audio from my MacBook Pro, and whatever else I decide.  I am not prepared to purchase a music server just yet, but it's something I have thought about for a while.  
My system:  speakers are Harbeth Monitor 40.1's.  Turntable is an SME 20/2 with SME IV.iv tonearm and Kiseki Purple Heart cartridge, fed to a Parasound JC-3+ phono preamp.  Power conditioner is Audioqest Niagara 7000.  CD transport is a Wadia 8.  
I will report back as I have more time to experiment and let the amp break in.  

128x128snackeyp
waltersalas's avatar
waltersalas
939 posts
 
@t_ramey 

I am really enjoying my 3400. As with most things in high end, whether someone could live with it long term depends on their priorities. It does not quite have the mid-range magic of a good SET tube amp, but I find its mid-range to be very natural sounding, and the soundstage overall fuller and somehow more "complete" than other amps I've had, with excellent imaging as well. The bass is also tighter and deeper than I've had, though this is hard to compare with some other amps from the past, since I had different speakers in those days.

The Room Perfect is very nice, though how it important it is may depend upon the challenges of the room. Since my system is in the living room with very little in the way of room treatments, it is nice to have.

In all, I'm very happy with both the sound and versatility of the 3400, though it did take a little time to get used to the loss of the SET sound. I feel sure that if I went back now, there are more things that I would miss about the Lyngdorf. Honestly, convenience is also part of the equation. But the sonics are excellent as well, at least for my tastes.

I hope that helps.


t_ramey
632 posts
 
Thanks for replying waltersalas, nice to hear you still have it and enjoying it!
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,436 posts
 
@emcdade.....That’s like saying a new piece of gear, room treatment or cabling that improves your sound is only because one did not like the sound without the new addition in the first place.  That is not true and again an over generalization. 
freesole
159 posts
 
I just received the 3400 and am trying to run Room Perfect but I can't seem to get it started. As soon as I run it, I hear a sound coming out of my left speaker (not the right) and I get the Signal Error and it prompts me to check my microphone connection. Anyone else with this issue? 

The 3400 comes with a microphone that connects to the XLR to XLR microphone cable which then connects to a XLR to mini-jack which goes into the front "Mic" socket. I've tried rebooting as well but to no avail. Same error each time as I try to get Room Perfect to run. 

For those that have had this issue, any ways you can think of to get it to work? For those that have not had this issue, any idea as to what I might be doing wrong? Maybe the microphone is defective?
freesole
159 posts
 
Well, similar to the OP, I tried the same thing again the next day and mysteriously, it worked. There was nothing different about this attempt but somehow it was able to detect the microphone and I was able to launch Room Perfect. 

I will say though that I reached out to Ellington Hifi and Tony got back to me within a few hours. He then tried to reach out to me by phone multiple times during the day and we finally connected later on in the day. Though I was not his original customer, he treated me like one and his effort to help did not go unnoticed. Just a stand up guy, Tony is. I wouldn't hesitate to work with him in the future for anything he carries. Just thought I'd put that out there. 
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