Romy's post on my comments on the ML3

I tried to login and post my comments there, but the site seems to have forgotten me [or I forgot my login], so I’ll just post my comments here.

The latest post in the ML3 thread at the GoodSoundClub talks about my Initial Impressions of the Lamm ML3.

I am happy that Romy found it informative [thanks Romy], but…. I have a few corrections to make 🙂

First, the Ongaku, the Audio Note …. U.K.(!) … Ongaku, that we have here is not micro-details challenged [to say the least]. The Kondo Ongaku may indeed be challenged in this way – certainly sounds that way at shows… but then again, they put the darn things on nightstands and other suspiciously inadequate platforms that are probably sucking all the micro-details out of whatever there was there to begin with.

If any of you weren’t happy with digital four of five years ago – and gave up on it – give it another try. Digital music reproduction has evolved significantly in the last few years, along with the rest of the digital landscape.

And, just another pet peeve :-), the sound of the Martens are in fact almost diametrically opposite to the sound of Kharmas. Both have their fans, and you can like both, like we do, or not. But they are really not at all more alike than any other two random ultra-high quality box speakers. One is very even handed trying to be as accurate as possible, one is very exuberant trying to be as engaging as possible [the way I think about them, anyway].

And regardless of all this – our reportage was about the sound of the ML3s in comparison to what we have heard here before – namely the ML2.1 and the higher level Audio Note. If we say there was significant micro-dynamic/harmonic capabilities [I hesitate to say micro-details because by detail most people mean – if they think about it – a well-delineated (best case) or, sometimes even sharper-than-natural leading edge to notes, usually at the macro level, sometimes at the midi-level – and this is not that. This is *extreme control* of the note envelope so that it is formed in a much more natural way than the saw-tooth-curve approach of lesser amps], then there was significant micro-dynamic/harmonic capabilities with respect to these other amps that we are familiar with [which themselves are the best we have heard in this regard, especially on average-efficiency speakers] – as heard on a very, very high resolution system, whether someone thinks they will like the system or not.

And, as far as “Mike always overly-exuberant about the things he sells”, well, I try to be clear about why I recommend various things, whether we sell them or not, that I think people would love to hear for themselves. But me? Overly exuberant? If you knew me, you’d realize how much of a stretch this would be. 🙂 But seriously, most people want me to be MORE exuberant on the blog – but less so than the typical reviewer – so that is the balance I struggle for.

Anyway, Romy, you are welcome to visit here anytime, or our room at RMAF. Then, at least you would know *exactly* how bad everything sounds 😉