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 ...... Read More »

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... Read More »

Well, it's been a nice past week of music listening and Hi-Fi Tom-foolery here at Jeff's Place: vintage vinyl, new remastered vinyl, playing with Acoustic Revive accessories, listening to the prototype Sablon Audio Panatella interconnects, listening again to the Leben CS660P amplifier and Leben RS-100 (not the 'U') preamplifier, listening to a variety of 300B... Read More »

The April 2011 issue of Stereophile arrived in my mailbox a couple of days ago, and if you haven't seen it already, the Leben CS600 integrated amplifier earned the coveted Stereophile Class A rating - way to go Leben! The Class A rating was the result of a very nice review that Stereophile writer John... Read More »

If you're like me you've watched in horror the devastating result of Friday's earthquake and resulting tsunami on the nation of Japan. The first thing I thought about upon hearing the news was the safety of Mr. Yoshi Hontani (Leben & Acoustic Revive exporter), Mr. Ken Ishiguro (Acoustic Revive), and Mr. Taku Hyodo (Leben), and... Read More »

I think most of you are familiar with my writings over the years about the superb Acoustic Revive Hi-Fi performance products from Japan, but just in case you're not, let me provide a quick introduction from an earlier article: "Those who have been following the Acoustic Revive Chronicles know all about Mr. Ken Ishiguro and... Read More »

It is always gratifying for me to see products I have high regard for get recognized by others, and in this case it is the superb Leben CS-300XS integrated amplifier and the CS-660P power amplifier designed by the gifted Mr. Taku Hyodo, the founder of Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company, which have received awards from the... Read More »

Yoshi Hontani, the Leben and Acoustic Revive exporter in Japan, is a kindred spirit to yours truly. Yoshi San enjoys fine music, audio, and photography, and I was delighted when I received an e-mail sharing some photos he took of the Japanese Fall during a recent hike he and his family went on in Nara.... Read More »

Yoshi Hontani sent me word that the wonderful little Leben CS300XS vacuum tube integrated amplifier was a winner of Gold Medal for 2010 from the French magazine Diapason. Here's a little excerpt from the review: "Faithful to the look and spirit of the end of the 1960’S, this small integrated tube amplifier is full of... Read More »

As you found out in posts 1 & 2, the first two winners for 2010 were ... drum roll ... the Tannoy Westminster Royal Special Edition loudspeakers ($35,000 USD) and the Leben RS-30EQ Phono Preamplifier ($2495 USD). While the Westminster Special Edition is expensive enough to make your teeth hurt, they really are worth every... Read More »

I just clicked 'send' to get my 2010 PFO Writers' Choice Awards on the way to PFO Editors Dave and David. As I mentioned earlier, by visiting my blog you get a preview of coming attractions before it goes into print at that esteemed magazine. We writers hand out the PFO Awards for those stellar... Read More »

Many thanks to Mark Coles of Sablon Audio 'The Robusto' fame, for sending along a link to an article in the superb High Fidelity magazine of Poland about a hot-rodded version of the Leben CS300. For those of you who know of articles about Leben, Westminsters, and so forth, be sure to let me know... Read More »

I was just thumbing through my copy of the October 2010 edition of Stereophile magazine - which is the Recommended Components issue - and noticed that the Leben CS600 integrated amplifier has been awarded Stereophile's highest rating of 'A' in the integrated amplifiers section.  For those who aren't familiar with it, Stereophile is one of... Read More »

The Sablon Audio 'The Robusto' power cord is today's fresh catch, and believe me, it serves up some fine listening. More often than not, it’s through the ‘audio underground’ that I get tips about new or relatively unknown Hi-Fi products that really deliver the musical experience in spades, for it is from the underground’s deep... Read More »

I'm sitting here in my living room tonight, relaxing after a long day in the office, listening to my favorite Chet Baker album of all time, the Someday My Price Will Come on SteepleChase that was recorded live at Montmartre in Copenhagen on October 4, 1979. I've listened to the CD version for years, and... Read More »

Quite a few of you have asked me if I had heard anything about the new Leben 300B and EL84 mono amplifiers that are under development, and I haven't, so I thought I'd inquire of Mr. Yoshi Hontani to see if we could get a status on when we might see them come to market.... Read More »

I talked to my Mom and Dad on the phone tonight, and Mom mentioned she was a little worried about me because I hadn't posted anything new at Jeff's Place for a while (I am blessed with the most terrific parents you can imagine!). It turns out that I've been busier than usual, so I've... Read More »

Cool guys Stephaen (6Moons) and Pete (Pete Riggle Audio) stopped by this morning for a little coffee and music listening. Stephaen brought along the Pass Labs' solid-state INT-30A integrated amplifier that he is writing an article about for 6Moons. The INT-30A is a 30-watt integrated based on the Pass Labs' XA30.5 stereo amplifier, and like... Read More »

Those of you who have been reading the Acoustic Revive Chronicles, and the articles about the Leben Hi-Fi Company electronics from Japan (see the links page), will recognize the name of Yoshi Hontani, who exports both of these fine product lines from Japan around the world to eagerly awaiting customers. In fact Yoshi San is... Read More »

I just found out about a very nice review of the Leben CS660P Power Amplifier by Mr. Wojciech Pacuła of High Fidelity (Poland), which has also been translated into English at 6Moons. For those who may not know, the CS660P is available with two circuit variations, one of which produces more bass quantity than the... Read More »

I've been very pleased to read how various Stereophile writers (Stephen Mejias, John Atkinson, Robert Deutsch, John Marks, and Art Dudley, if I remember correctly) have praised the Leben CS300 and CS600 integrated amplifier based Hi-Fi systems featured at the Salon and Image Show in Toronto over the last few years. The common thread in... Read More »

In the Stereophile website coverage of the 2009 Salon and Image Show there were also some nice comments about the Leben CS600 integrated amplifier. Stephen Mejias of Stereophile awarded the Leben CS-600 integrated and RS-30EQ phono stage, in combination with the DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Nine loudspeakers and a Clearaudio Champion Wood turntable, his "Best Music... Read More »

John Atkinson made a nice post about the Leben CS600 at the Stereophile website coverage of the 2008 Festival Son and Image Show in Montreal, saying in part, "In some ways—particularly the overall balance and the sheer accessibility of the music—this was the best I heard at the Show despite the system's affordable price." The... Read More »