Musical Fidelity - Lx-lps Mm/mc Phono Preamp Review
Our Verdict
Musical Fidelity'south LX2-LPS is a differently just overall equally abled alternative to the imperious Rega Fono MM MK3.
For
- Open and concentrated presentation
- Fluid dynamics
- Vocal performances are a item highlight
- Serves both MM and MC cartridges
- Adjustable impedance
Against
- Lacks some dial and drive compared with form leader
What Hi-Fi? Verdict
Musical Fidelity's LX2-LPS is a differently only overall equally abled culling to the imperious Rega Fono MM MK3.
Pros
- +
Open and full-bodied presentation
- +
Fluid dynamics
- +
Song performances are a detail highlight
- +
Serves both MM and MC cartridges
- +
Adjustable impedance
Cons
- -
Lacks some punch and drive compared with class leader
Musical Fidelity'south LX2-LPS and the Honor-winning Rega Fono MM MK3 – the competition for any product inbound this market at this price – are split by their differing talents rather than i or other beingness in detail ascendency.
Features
The LX2-LPS is of grade our focus for this review, though it splits its own by the fashion of offer distension for both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges.
Catering for both, especially to exercise so adeptly, is a rarity at this price given the actress work involved with the latter.
That a decent MC cartridge alone would likely set you back more than than double the toll of this unit, and that's non to mention the cost of the rest of a suitable deck, ways we wonder how much utilise will exist fabricated of this feature.
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Still, its presence tin can simply be regarded positive – fifty-fifty if information technology were merely for the fact it facilitates a second toggle (indisputably rex of all switching systems) on the front of the unit.
Only generally this is a swish piddling production. Naturally, equally a phono amp, its appearance is clean cut – this is a game played very much behind closed doors – only its build is solid and symmetry fundamentally pleasing.
The LX2-LPS also boasts adjustable impedance, which is again of near chicken-tooth rarity at this toll. Rather than a switch, there are two sets of loading plugs on the back of the chassis for you or, more likely, your dealer to do the job manually.
At this toll it would exist surprising to find many buyers making use of the feature.
An entry-level phono amplifier is commonly fit-and-forget out of necessary convenience equally much as budget, and, given what we're about to say virtually the LX2-LPS's native performance, at that place's no real need for customisation regardless.
Even so, it'due south of no inconvenience having the pick.
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Sound
And so, to that sonic operation. Simply put, this is a Musical Fidelity production that sounds precisely like most Musical Fidelity products, and in a tremendously positive style.
Using a moving-magnet cartridge, equally we did for most of our testing, nosotros play Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92 and enjoy the LX2-LPS's familiarly spacious and concentrated presentation.
At that place's a lot of low end, which warms up the performance noticeably but steers clear of becoming invasive or overly corpulent.
There isn't the punch or rhythmic precision of the Rega Fono MM MK3, which loses it some footing on more driven tracks, but still the music times quite well enough and is far from defective generally in terms of dynamic reach.
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The difference is really that the Rega scores consistently high across the lath whereas the Musical Fidelity'south talents are more varied – and it'due south with slower, more cogitating pieces that the latter is truly able to shine.
Lewis's L'Flirtation, for example, sounds equally if it were produced specifically to exist played on kit such as this.
The LX2-LPS's creamy concentrated presentation buoys meandering piano lines and luscious synth pads, with the song presented gorgeously with a combination of warmth and dulcet expression that suits Lewis's croon to a tee.
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Arrangements focused so considerably on the middle register are a delight through this phono amp, which revels in those frequencies, simply a combination of that aforementioned space and a more often than not balanced overall range safeguards against the pieces becoming compressed or insular.
If you lot are planning to make utilize of the MC input, the LX2-LPS's graphic symbol happily remains the same. We use our reference Clearaudio Innovation Forest/ Stradivari V2 combination, which is certainly non this amp's ideal bedmate.
Simply nosotros can't say the Musical Fidelity is out of its depth, merely continuing to do well what information technology does and somewhat justifying the inclusion of moving-coil input.
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Verdict
Equally competition for the Honour-winning Rega, the LX2-LPS is possibly not as versatile, but where it thrives it delivers a more engaging operation, and ane that comfortably validates a five-star review.
See all our Musical Allegiance reviews
Source: https://www.whathifi.com/musical-fidelity/lx2-lps/review
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