LAIV Crescendo Chorus brings HiFi Thrills for LESS
By Steve Huff
Here we are back with an ultra affordable amp solution for those who refuse to pay big bucks for a modern day audio amplifier. Here, I will show you the latest amplifier from LAIV called the “Chorus” and at under, yes under $1,000 USD this amp is what I call a “Wonder Amp” as nothing can touch it for this price. Sure you can go with the Galion Discovery amps I have recently review, and they are great as well. The Chorus are different though and are GaN amps, Class D vs Class A/B. They are also much smaller, yet more refined in design and build.
The Chorus is a very good stereo amp but if you want to get serious with them, get two of them for under $2k and you have a full on set of mono amps that are high quality in build, design and bring a high end sound with some warmth and glow. Unreal. Times are changing in audio! It is getting better as I am now seeing lower cost gear, some of it (not all) starting to bridge the gap between what would have been called “entry level” and “high end”. These amps here are awesome if you enjoy what they do and the sound they bring.
But yea, I call it “the power myth” as I have seen people with 90 db efficient speakers an up using 400-500 watt monster amps when a lower wattage amp would sound even better. Seems we have been trained to think more is better but that is not always the case, especially if your speakers are not a super tough drive or you do not listen in a huge monster size room. Yea, really..less can be better, and usually is, if the speakers and room fit. In my 13X18 space with speakers ranging from 87DB to 97DB I use about 10 watts max in my room.
I have fond memories of the Pass Labs INT-25 amp. It’s such a glorious integrated yet brings only 25 watts of class A power until it veers off into Class A/B. But it’s advertised as a 25 watt amp. Same with the old Luxman 590 AXII. Twenty glorious watts that sound sweet, luscious and so good.
The LAIV Crescendo line was made to be a more affordable version of the Harmony line, scaled down a bit. This allows so many to get into this hobby with much more ease. In the case of the Verse I enjoyed it but it didn’t bowl me over as much as these amps have and do, I will be honest. With that said, the Verse rocks with the Chorus as they are made to go together. and they are very synergistic together. I did not expect what was to be because let’s face it…$2k for a set of true mono amps? Crazy. There has to be a drawback somewhere right?
In house I have a few amps right now. My reference Burson Voyager mono amps ($5999), A Unison Research Unico DM V2 flagship amp ($11k), a ModWright KWH 225i integrated ($10k) and a Galion Victoria low powered tube amp ($1300) which brings 4 watts of power and sounds gorgeous in my space, just limited a bit so no head banging sessions.
Now with the Laiv CHORUS amps in the mono config, which I highly recommend vs going stereo if you can, I have a set of class D boxes that will pump out 50 watts in stereo mode with one amp or 120 watts with two set as a mono config. Also, in this mono mode the amps are now truly balanced in operation vs quasi balanced. This means they will work perfectly with the Immersive D-1 DAC I have been loving lately if I wanted to up the performance from the Verse.
Ah yes, some poo poo Class D amps but todays Class D is super. I myself have had a love/like relationship over the years with class D amps. Some have been profoundly excellent while others have left me wanting more life and musical flow. Some class D sounds overly polished and pristine where others implementation has warmth and body and groove. The Chorus amps are GAN Class D amps so they have more of that flow, warmth and body. When I started listening to the Chorus and running them in I noticed right away that these have that LAIV sound of richness, slight warmth, a bit of transparency along with some body and soul. They are not all about the detail yet they do this just fine. In fact, when run with the Imersiv D-1 DAC these sound supremely high end in their soundstage size, width and depth. Imaging is stunning with the D-1 DAC as well but here I am running a set of $2k mono amps with a $12k DAC. This doesn’t seem right but somehow these amps sound just as good as the others I have here, just with slight differences really. Less of this, more of that.
The CHORUS amps also run cool, are small yet hefty and remarkable in what they can do. I feel that if these emerged 15 years ago the cost would be crazy for this kind of sound and small size. Today we have options and I am one audiophile who is happy LAIV is around, as they always deliver way above the price point.
If you want some of the coolest amps around today in the more affordable price range then I highly can suggest considering the Chorus amps from LAIV. Superb build, quality design and great sound. What do I miss from my reference $6k Burson amps? Well, the Aussie amps run 40 watts into Class A, then switch to Class A/B. They are richer, fuller and bigger in scale. The stage is larger, imaging is tighter and immersion is greater. This is what an extra $4k gets me here but even so, I love the Chorus amps for what they bring for the dollar spent. Superb amps and I enjoyed them so much I created an award system and the Chorus get my 1st ever SILVER award!
SEE MORE DETAILS or BUT THEM AT THE LAIV WEBSITE (not an affiliate link)
