LFD Zero LE III integrated amplifier

Since I've definitely upped the ante in my system with the Cardas Audio cabling and the Trenner & Friedl ART monitors, it's time to start thinking about my next upgrade. Basically, all I have left is the CD player and the amplifier, since I'm probably going to hold onto the Rega P3-24 turntable, the Zu Audio DL-103 cartridge and the Lehmann Audio Black Cube SE phono preamp for a few more years at least. (I am, however, starting to fall in love with that Funk Firm turntable, so who knows what I'll do in the coming year.)

I'm using a Denon DVD player as a CD player right now. I sold my nearly $6000 Naim CDX2 last year because I thought I was going to transfer my CD collection to a McIntosh music server, but that didn't quite pan out as expected. Since I've been focusing mostly on LPs this year, and because my brother and I have been building music servers, I just haven't thought about buying a decent CD player yet to replace the extraordinary Naim. Up until recently I thought I would just buy another Naim, because they are my favorite players by far. But I may just get something reasonable like the Oppo BDP-83SE universal player for $800 and be done with it. If I want something better, I'll just send the Oppo to Dan Wright at ModWright Instruments and let him stick some tubes in it. I just don't want to spend big bucks on digital these days.

The amp, however, is a different story. I thought I would get a Naim NAIT XS but with all of the Cardas cabling in my system, it may or may not be the best choice. Up until a few years ago, you could only use Naim amps with Naim-approved cabling. The latest generation of Naim gear works with most cable brands, but in my experience Naim stuff works best with other Naim stuff, so I may have to think this through. Still, the NAIT XS, which is basically the SuperNAIT without the DAC, is a hell of a piece, and it's only about $2500...a real bargain. In fact, the only real competition is the LFD Zero LE III integrated which has retailed between $2495 and $2995 over the last few years, depending upon the exchange rates. It doesn't have the features of the Naim, but I like the sound quality just a tad better.

Here's the deal, though...the LFD Zero LE III integrated is about to be replaced by the LE IV. That means a lot of used LE IIIs are going to flood the market as people try to upgrade. I think I'm going to start looking at one of those used units to replace my modest but still outstanding Rega Brio 3. I know that Gene Rubin of Gene Rubin Audio is offering $1600 as a trade-in allowance for customers that want to go from the III to the IV. So if he's re-selling them for anywhere near the $1600 price, that will be another fantastic bargain. Peter Selesnick of Venice Audio also told me he has a couple of demos he wants to sell.

The LE III is perhaps my favorite sounding integrated of all time. I was able to review one for TONEAudio and I didn't want to give it back! So I think that's the plan for now...stay tuned!

Perfect Sound Forever -- My interview with Peter Selesnick!

The latest edition of Perfect Sound Forever is now online at http://www.furious.com/perfect/. It contains my latest interview with Peter Selesnick of Venice Audio, where he talks about what it takes to become a new audio dealer in the 21st century.

Here's a direct link to the article: http://www.furious.com/perfect/vinyl77.html. But do read the rest of Perfect Sound Forever, where you'll find new articles on Momus, Laura Viers, Steel Pulse, Mulatu Astake (my favorite African musician along with King Sunny Ade) and Jason Falkner.

Great photos from Peter Selesnick of Venice Audio!

"Seriously--we have more than enough now!"

That was Jason Gross' response to sending him all these photographs from the Peter Selesnick interview that will appear in the October 1 edition of Perfect Sound Forever. I'm sure only one or two of these will make it into the article, so I'm putting the whole lot of them up here because a) Peter Selesnick is by trade a Director of Photography and therefore is an excellent photographer as well (unlike me), and b) I always dig pics of my favorite audio gear.

First of all, there's the shots of all the wonderful Harbeth speaker models. I'm a huge fan of Harbeth and I hope to own a pair very soon. Second, there are a lot of shots of the Well-Tempered Amadeus turntable that uses an actual golf ball suspended in silicon liquid as part of its tonearm assembly. Peter and I discuss this turntable at length during the interview, so I wanted everyone to see just how fun this design really is. (And by the way, the 'table sounds great!) Third, there's a pic of the Leben amps from Japan that I've discussed in two columns now.

So here you go!

Look at all those Harbeths!

That's the Compact 7-ES3s right up front. One of the best all-around speakers money can buy.

That's a lime green Rega P3-24 just like mine, and a Michell Gyrodec SE right behind it. I used to own the Gyrodec's big brother, the Orbe SE. Great turntable!

And now for the golf ball!

These are the tubed Leben amps from Japan. Great retro looks. The main designer of Leben worked for Luxman for many years.

Wrap it up...I'll take it!

Interview with Peter Selesnick of Venice Audio

I just finished an interview with Peter Selesnick of Venice Audio for an upcoming installment of the Vinyl Anachronist column, which will appear in the next issue of Perfect Sound Forever. Peter is by trade a British director of photography (DP, as they say in the film industry), and he decided to start Venice Audio in his spare time. As you can see from the photos above, Venice Audio offers a very beautiful way to audition and buy some of the best equipment in the world such as Naim, Harbeth, Leben, Well Tempered and much, much more.

I talked with Peter about what it takes to open up a high-end store in the 21st century, when most electronic purchases are done on the Internet by people who are searching for the lowest price and not the best advice. He offered some excellent insights into how he chooses product lines, how he auditions equipment and how he hopes to capture the attention of younger generations and turn them onto the joys of listening to two-channel analog-based audio systems!

He also talks about some of my favorite components such as the Harbeth 40.1 loudspeakers (my favorite speakers in the world), the Well Tempered Amadeus turntable (which uses a golf ball damped in silicon fluid in its tonearm assembly) and the entire line of Naim electronics (my favorite audio brand in the world).