Ever cool guy Yoshi Hontani released more information about the new Leben CS-1000P today. Yoshi San’s message said, “A first production lot of 5 units have already been sold out and the next production lot of 10 units is scheduled at early June. (6 units have already been sold out as of today).” The new Leben [...]

While the full details have not yet been released, Leben has announced that they will be offering a new amplifier: the CS-1000P, which is based on the KT120 vacuum tube (click on the photos for larger images). Stylistically, the CS-1000P power amplifier is on a chassis similar to the CS-660P, which in my opinion is [...]

Those of you who have been following my posts know how much I’ve enjoyed using the 6n3cE tubes in my Leben CS-600 amplifier. Almost two years ago I posted about my experiences with this tube and recommended it to fellow Leben CS-600 owners. You can read that post here. I’ve been buying my tubes from [...]

In last year’s 7th Annual Positive Feedback Online’s Writers’ Choice Awards for 2010 I managed to squeeze in an extra Award for a total of four: My first choice was a no-brainer, and it went to my all-time favorite loudspeaker, the incredible Tannoy Westminster Royal Special Edition. The Westminster is so good that I still [...]

I had forgotten to mention it earlier, but in the October 2011 ‘Recommended Components’ issue of Stereophile there’s a couple of notable mentions: The EMT TSD 15 moving coil phono cartridge landed in ‘Class A‘ by virtue of Art Dudley’s earlier review of it. I have become increasingly impressed with my own EMT TSD 15 [...]

I just got the November 2011 issue of Stereophile and all you fellow Leben CS300 & RS30EQ fans out there will be pleased to know that Art Dudley reviewed the pair and really liked them. In the November issue Art writes a mini-survey that compares three nice tube integrated amps: the aforementioned Leben gear, the [...]

I’ve been having a lot of fun listening to music this weekend while making a few blog posts and doing some review writing. My Hi-Fi rig is sounding really good right now, and I thought you might like to see what’s making it sound so good today. First up is my EMT TSD-15 MC cartridge [...]

I ordered a quad of EH KT90 vacuum tubes from Jim McShane a couple of days ago to try in my Leben CS660P stereo amplifier. I was thinking that I’d tried KT66, KT88, EL34, KT77, 6L6G, 5881, 6n3cE, 350B, and 6550s, so I thought I’d better add KT90s to the list. My favorites so far [...]

You know how life just goes along and you think nothing is ever going to change, and then something totally unanticipated happens that resets everything? Well, this Saturday evening I had one of those precedence setting events that caught me completely by surprise, and rewrote the book about what I thought I knew about … [...]

As you know, I fell in love with the Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company and the electronics designs of Mr. Taku Hyodo, the founder of Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company back when I first reviewed the Leben CS-600 integrated amplifier for 6Moons in 2007. I’m not the only one smitten with the Leben electronics’ charms either, as [...]