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Leben Owners: which speakers do you use?

I was talking to a fellow Audiogoner about our Leben CS300XS; he made the very good point that the model is in an unusual area: "it's not low powered set, not mid-powered like a lot of el84, el34, and kt88 push-pull tube amps." So maybe you have to take care speaker matching?

He's using Audio Note AN/Ks and liking them. I have Devore Nines and like them a lot (though for various reasons I am moving the Nines somewhere else and I'll be on the hunt for new speakers... hence the thread). I know Devore is a natural for these, maybe partly due to In Living Stereo/Tone Imports (that's where I heard the combo and fell for it).

Anyone else? What have you found? Especially the smaller Leben, but 600s too.
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sebastienl's avatar
sebastienl
84 posts
 
I'm just coming back from Montreal's SSI 2011 hifi show. One of the best sound of the show, for my taste, was Devore's new Orangutan 0/96 paired with a nice Leben CS300, a Brinkmann's Bardo turntable and the Leben phono stage.

This was a perfect match!

As I am an owner of Harbeth's speakers and pretty active on Harbeth User Group, I know that many Harbeth users amplified them with Leben. The main market for Harbeth is in the far East, same as Leben.
glenalan
65 posts
 
I owned both the Leben CS600 and now the CS300 and prefer the latter powering my Living Voice OBX-RW speakers. The upbeat spirited nature of the CS300 created a better synergy with the agility and even tonal balance of the Living Voice. The CS300's 12 watts power was not a issue at all in my medium size room. In comparison, the CS600 (32w) had more than enough power but was a little slow in momentum for my taste. I haven't heard the Devore Nines but from what I understand from the many reviews and comments the Living Voice with its greater sensitivity (94db) should provide a smoother but just as natural and refined presentation.
randyk
44 posts
 
When I auditioned the DeVore Super 8's and Leben integrateds, I preferred it paired with the CS600. I found the CS300 a bit too energetic (harsh) to my ears. I really like the Winged C 6L6GC tubes with these DeVores. I'm happy with the results. I've read that your Nines are very good with the Leben CS300. Best of luck in your search.
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