Stereophile Class A Rated!!
"It's not one of the best, ... but the best!"... Sam Tellig, Stereophile, February 2008.
Stereophile reviewed the LFD LE Mk.3 and we have a copy of the pdf here.
LFD Audio is a British company established in 1987 by Dr. Richard Bews and Dr. Malcolm Omar Hawksford of Essex University, to produce high quality amplifiers based on sound electrical engineering principles, and careful listening. Their design philosophy is based on the belief that audio amplifiers can be most easily optimized if the basic amplifier topology is kept as simple as possible.
Feedback is generally kept to a minimum, provided the distortion is sensibly low, and mostly involving lower order harmonics. Signal paths are carefully routed to minimize interactions, often using wiring in preference over printed circuit board tracks. In fact their signal paths are typically 5 times shorter than typical amplifiers.
Each passive component and even each separate cable assembly is subjected to listening tests, and selected for the best sound. As an example, it is not normally possible to use the same resistor type for every resistor within an amplifier, each position must have a type that produces the best subjective results. This process also applies to the choice of capacitor used within the circuit and any capacitor used as a power supply decoupling component. The iterative procedure is very time consuming and means that product development is slow and methodical. There is no easy solution to this problem, but perseverance does bring its rewards of better sound quality.
This painstaking approach does bring rewards in the areas of better transparency, resolution and dimensionality. Remember that fashions come and go, but true quality always lasts.
- 60 watts into 8 ohms, each channel, stereo integrated amplifier.
- Bandwidth: 1 Hz - 50 kHz.
- One pair of MOSFETs per channel.
- Inputs: 5 line inputs, 1 tape loop.
- Outputs: 2 pairs of speaker terminals.
- Controls: Input selector, Input/Mute/Tape, Volume.
- Weight: 17.6 lbs.
- Dimensions: 17" W x 2.5" H x 13" D.
Read Sam Tellig's glowing review in the February 2008 issue of Stereophile. He loved this amplifier so much that he bought it, declaring that "it just sounds right".
This is truly a unique amplifier delivering sonics well above its price range. There is a very limited supply as these units are hand-built in the U.K.
"At LFD we believe that the goal of audio engineering is to achieve the highest standards of sound quality. The company openly admits and adheres to a programme of subjective optimization and recognizes the importance of evaluation as the final performance arbiter. However, we equally believe in engineering excellence and in achieving the highest standards of objective performance commensurate with system philosophy that is biased towards the minimalist school in terms of signal processing."
-- Dr. Richard Bews, Professor Malcolm Omar Hawksford, LFD Audio.
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