As my subwoofer bypass sessions showed, Laiv's low end was ideally damped not stifling. Upright bass retained its rotund redolent flair rather than devolve into robotic jackhammer action. Just so, Smadj or Mercan Dede for cyborg synth bass showed off incredibly taut stoppage for gnarly slam. It's the coincident presence of warmer textures with curtailed high-order harmonics plus superb LF control which prevents this sound from getting too limpid. It's how Zu's meatier tuning coexisted with spunky well-sprung bass for rhythmic vigor. It's where on most loads triode-based 4Ω output impedances won't compete even though they might produce elastic tone textures higher up. With softer separation and looser edges, images exhibited somewhat more bloom than they do with my Kinki monos. This math has crisper focus mean more defined slightly smaller images, looser focus less defined but slightly bigger images. These were basic side effects of the main tuning which I'll call mild rather than deep class A to set correct expectations. As the next photo reminds us, these amps sport ground posts which I didn't try. My experience with external virtual ground boxes is limited to just two such devices over the years and I don't own any. It's thus a feature I didn't try. In his recent review of Faber's La Potenza loom, Italian contributor Simone wrote that "grounding the LampizatOr Horizon 360 DAC and Riviera Labs AIC-10 amplifier… [created an]… increase of air between images so their separation and how they emerged from the background happened in a more sculptural way. The holographic cliché popped to mind instinctively. The depth of the soundstage was the dimension affected the most and the improved vanishing of the loudspeakers from the soundscape a close second." It's thus possible that exploiting this feature on the Laiv amps might reveal extra performance points?

Enter genealogy. In my more recent review of the Kinki/Vinshine Tai Hang, I expressed admiration for the fact that like the Exact Express-branded Kinki cable looms and Kinki's amplifiers, the DC blocker manifested the very same energizer and accelerator function. That gave props to their design team's consistency. Their kitchen cooks with one signature flavour. On Laiv's HP²A I'd already noticed a small deviation from the Harmony DAC's tuning then learnt that the original circuit had been scrapped to incorporate feedback from GoldenSound's Cameron Oatley who became a consultant for that project. He argued for extreme voltage swing potential to handle unreasonable headphones like the Tungsten. With the GaNM twins, divergence easily doubles. To my ears they don't sound like amplifier versions of the Harmony converter; not that it was implied or promised. To my ears the DAC actually embodies the brand name's meaning. To my ears the amps step away from the virtual performers not by way of perspective—nothing shifts in the soundstage—but by mellowing the nearfield's energy and frisson like happens in the farther rows with a more blended less direct sound. There's nothing more to it other than that; and perhaps confounding those who expected more consistency. Laiv 'n' learn?

Quite. Live sound after all has two basic flavours: amplified and unplugged/acoustic. They differ. Amplified sound is denser, thicker and bassier, acoustic sound leaner and more lit up. My take on the Harmony DAC was that of an acoustic live sound close to stage. My take on the GaNM particularly with the Zu Soul VI? Amplified live sound. As a conservatory-trained classical clarinet player not a Jazz or Turkish clarinetist with a barrel pickup and amplifier, my allegiances hardwire to acoustic sound. It's what I grew up with to be imprinted by. Whilst living in Switzerland on Lac Leman, I had plenty of opportunities to attend amplified concerts at the festivals of Montreux and surrounding villages, even Geneva. Those demonstrated the difference which sound reinforcement makes on the experience vs unplugged performances in smaller venues; or symphonic works in a large hall. Amplified images enlarge as do the LF, their textures and general air-motion density. From it fine treble energies suffocate. Loudness too tends to be far higher. Hence the change the previous paragraph described doesn't really leave the brand's reservation. It just shifts Laiv from acoustic to reinforced qualities. Those should be more familiar. It tends to be easier to catch amplified live music in a club or on the street than hearing a string quartet or unplugged busking folk band. If amplified sound is the majority reference for those who still do concerts, the GaNM monos reflect that aesthetic nicely. That leads me to think that many who audition them will feel right at home. And that ought to help Laiv find new homes for their latest model.

A microSD slot on the belly is for future firmware updates.

The only practical thing I didn't like were the binding posts. Whilst they look lovely, solid and perfectly legit in the higher end, they were first in my experience to generate no sound in two different systems when I hand-tightened standard spades. It's only when I finally applied real wrist torque then a socket wrench that I nailed proper conductivity. All else—looks, build, features, price competitiveness, noise-free MO—I loved. Once I made the transition to an amplified live-sound aesthetic including its higher SPL, I embraced it. Old dog, new trick. It's fair to say that the solitary XLR entry could frustrate some shoppers especially when there's sufficient space to fit an RCA. If that's you, let Laiv know. In conclusion, my intro sentiment of this being currently the brand's most ambitious project stands for the extro. This GaNM pair represents an accomplishment many far bigger far more established brands don't equal by playing it OEM. That it also looks the business without turning gaudy or ostentatious—black out the display and all you'll see is that tiny white pin-prick LED or its standby red—is the cherry on top. The current economic warfare of the US administration and 145% tariffs on Chinese goods is decidedly not. Yet for the time being, the rest of the world can still enjoy Laiv's value proposition. In my book, 400 watts into 4Ω which remain 300 watts into 2Ω, barely run warm, fit into a shoebox of Italian size 7 loafers and sound like pure if milder class A bias for ~€5K imported into the EU is value. I predict another victory lap for these GaNM twins once all other reviewers on Laiv's list share their opinions. For today you have mine. That's all I've got. Over and out.

Laiv respond: "Dear Srajan, thank you so much for the fantastic review. I truly appreciate the time, effort and insight you’ve poured into this! It means a great deal to us." Weng Fai Hoh