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Headphones: The IA-30T is an integrated amplifier. On my request, Mr. Czyżewski equipped the review sample with a headphone output. I reckoned since Leben’s CS-600 and particularly the CS-300 work as well with headphones as they do with loudspeakers, why not try it in the LAR? In the Japanese and Polish amps, the headphone signal is tapped from the speaker outputs without a dedicated winding on the output transformers. Regardless the sound is lovely. The LAR with Create Audio fuses performed better than the standard Leben CS-300 and in many respects also better than the X(S) version. Not everything was ideal but in general this proved to be one of the best headphone amplifiers (yes!) one can currently buy. It combined precision with splendid space. The latter of course is an artefact with headphones but once we adjust to their presentation, it becomes apparent how much can be done here. The LAR was a terrifically resolving amplifier with an even tonal balance that was apparent on both loudspeakers and headphones. It didn’t seem to be predestined to certain headphones because the character of the latter was more dominant than the character of the amp.


Even so I thought that higher-impedance ‘phones like the 600Ω Sennheiser HD800 and the year 2000 Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro performed best. While the AKG K701 sounded very nice, their round, warm and forgiving sound limited the soundstage and treble precision which are worth cultivating. My custom version of the Leben was fuller than the LAR and had the more saturated midrange and most of all the more powerful bass. The X(S) version also extended lower but in terms of resolution and extension its treble was worse. This was easily heard on Akiko Grace’s piano from her disc Illume produced by Bill Laswell. Over the IA-30T it had very clean attacks and long reverb. I actually did not analyse it thus but those elements contributed to the pleasure I had listening to this disc. The Leben and LAR are top headphone amplifiers which also get us refined fully fledged integrated amplifiers. Aren’t those great deals? The LAR is more powerful and handles more difficult loudspeakers better as well as bigger rooms. These machines belong into a group of elite amplifiers that will fit almost every system.

Description: Mr. Eugeniusz Czyżewski’s amplifier is a very solid design made with precision and a firm idea behind it. Being quite tall while not very deep is a profile based on the internal layout and reaches as far back as this firm’s first Argos Series amplifier, the AI-45 which was originally built for a recording studio. Though no outright copy, the IA-30T is externally very similar to its stable mate IA-120 which I reviewed here. I find this kind of utilitarian shape very special especially when it is as perfectly crafted as here. The enclosure is made from bent aluminium sheets that are varnished black except for the non-magnetic steel front panel which is a delicately shining graphite like mica. In the middle there is an elongated silver oval similar to Bel Canto with two metal knobs for input selection and volume. These controls are medium sized and polished and bracket two beautiful round VU meters with yellow-green faces and backlighting. A central amber LED confirms power status.

On the back we get two pairs of solid gold-plated speaker terminals spaced quite closely together to mandate care with spades to avoid short-circuiting. While the amplifier has a protection circuit, it’s better to be careful. Adjacent to the right terminal sat the 6.5mm headphone jack I had requested. In the middle sits a double row of RCA sockets for five line inputs and a fixed output. Those gold-plated sockets are not of the highest quality but soldered directly to the PCB. Similar sockets were used in the T+A elektroakustik E-Series Power Plant MkII amplifier.

Considering sell price (or even without that qualifier) the insides will shock you. This compact heavy component is packed with parts and laid out dual mono front to back. Individual sections are mounted on separate PCBs placed on many different levels. The inputs are soldered to the PCB with contactrons. Here are two separate voltage stabilizer circuits. Via shielded cables the signal then travels to the lower preamplification board and one NOS Siemens ECC82 double triode per channel. This section gets stabilized voltages for heaters and anodes. The next section placed on an even lower PCB also has a stabilized heater voltage for the phase inverter and output tube driver. Here we find classic NOS Siemens, one ECC83 per channel and in the output section traditional EL34 power pentodes, here Russian year 2006 Tung-Sol issue. These operate in class AB class push-pull ultralinear with a stabilized mesh voltage to separate it from the mains voltage. From the preamplifier the signal returns to the input PCB and runs to an Alps Blue Velvet pot with shielded cables, then returns and via high-quality connectors similar to those in the Tenor Audio 175S migrates to the lower PCB.

Everywhere I spotted first-rate Vishay precision resistors and evident care for optimized cable routing and proper solder joints as I’m familiar with from many Japanese components. Two classic EI power transformers supply dual-mono power. The 12-section output transformers too are EI cores. The single speaker terminal per channel is fed from a single secondary for which the maker recommends 6-8Ω loads although I encountered no issues powering the 4-ohm Chario Academy Sonnet. The signal for the headphone socket taps directly from the loudspeaker outputs which disconnect with a relay when a headphone plug inserts. A big shielded filter sits right at the power inlet and this amplifier doesn’t come with a remote.


Technical data (according to manufacturer):
Output power (1kHz): 2 x 30W/8Ω
Signal to noise ratio: -80dB
Frequency response (1W): 10-40.000Hz (±3dB)
THD (1W, 20Hz-20kHz, 8Ω): < 1%
Input impedance: 22kΩ
Input sensitivity (30W, 8Ω, 1kHz): 0.775V
Dimensions: 430 x 290 x 150mm
Weight: 15kg
Website

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