Lamm LL2 tweaks?

When I owned the LL2 Deluxe, my favorite tubes by far were Mullard (Blackburn) 12AU7 and Mullard (Mitcham) 6922. I also used a Mullard 6X4.

The best power cord for the LL2 Deluxe I found was a Purist Audio Dominus Ferrox.

IMO, the LL2 Deluxe needs tubes and a power cord that will get control of the bass, which can be a little out of proportion and loosey-goosey. However, with the right tube/power cord combo, the LL2 Deluxe's bass is excellent.

It also responds well to footers under the chassis and some mass loading on the top of the chassis. I use several footers with good results including Rollerblocks and Boston Audio TuneBlocs.

Consider these all were my preferences. Not saying they are "the best".

I had the LL2.1 Deluxe in-house for a few months and rolled through several different NOS 6DJ8 family members. I concluded from the impressive results of doing so that, were I to be an LL2 owner, such a swap out would be mandatory. I had no 12AU7s on hand to try but speculate similar result. If you're familiar with the house sound of 6DJ8/6922/7308 brands you know what they do, and likewise that choosing one over the other is a matter of personal taste. Amperex Orange Globes,and Valvos worked very well. Best to my ears were Siemens 7308s (late '60's if I recall) which yielded distinctly improved image specificity and upper octave extension.

Wrt dampers I don't know that their use would be any more or less preamp specific than with any other unit. Herbies' dampers work well.

The Lamm's built in AC filters may mitigate the effect of some power cords. My suggestion is first to learn its character with the stock cord and then experiment. I used a Shunyata Python coming from a Shunyata V-Ray with positive results.

Feed your most used source to the Direct input. I heard it as ever so slightly clearer compared with the Line input.

Congrats on the upgrade - the LL2.1 is a real sweetheart.
 

I own an LL2 preamp, changed the 6922 tubes for NOS ones and got different but not better sound from stock ones.

I am using a Siltech SPX30! PC and that changed the preamp in a much better way, open, fast and more a more liquid presentation.

No footers so far.

Thanks all for the input!

Tvad: I recall an older post of yours where you stated the LL2 was rather inmune to power cord upgrades. Maybe that perception changed after trying the Dominus?

For those who noticed an improvement from tube rolling: which tubes should I roll first? The 12AU7, 6922 or 6X4?

I'm certainly going to try it stock first and then go from there.

Keep the feedback coming!

05-10-10: Lewinskih01
Tvad: I recall an older post of yours where you stated the LL2 was rather immune to power cord upgrades.

Please post the comment here. I don't recall writing that, but if I did, then yes my opinion changed.

I'd not leave the stock versions of either the 12AU7 or 6922 installed in the LL2 Deluxe. Swapping them for better NOS tubes makes a difference worth the expense.

Changing the 6X4 is not as important, IMO.