I’m a big fan of Linear Tube Audio. I’m a big fan of Credo of Switzerland. So when I walked into the LTA and Credo room at the Florida Audio Expo in Tampa, I was excited by the pairing. I made a “together at last!” comment on social media and Aaron Sherrick of Now Listen Here instantly replied “And Meitner!”
Aaron is absolutely right–I should have mentioned the Meitner MA3 that Grover Neville reviewed was acting as digital source for the system. What stopped me from including the MA3 was the simple fact that I have yet to hear Meitner outside of trade shows. (John McGurk of Audioshield, who handles Credo in the US, usually employs Meitner in his high-end audio show set-ups, as he did here.) So let’s dub this the LTA and Credo and Meitner room.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
LTA and Credo is a fascinating combo for me. Linear Tube Audio is generally quick and clean but with a fantastic tonality that comes from both tubes and ZOTL circuitry. Credo of Switzerland is also detailed and quick, but with a stupendous sense of top-to-bottom coherency and excellent bass response that seems physically impossible for such slim towers and tiny bookshelf monitors.
What I heard with the LTA and Credo and Meitner (and Van den Hul cabling) was a supremely musical presentation that still reminded me of my current fascination with warmth and detail at the same time. The system I hear included the LTA Z40+ integrated amplifier (starting at $7,650), the Credo EV1202 Reference loudspeakers ($16,995/pr) and the $10,500 Meitner MA3, which is an “integrated” D/A converter.
John McGurk also brought the $6,995/pair Credo EV350 Reference two-way monitors that I reviewed last year and adored. I noticed a third speaker in the LTA and Credo and Meitner and Van den Hul room that intrigued me as well–the $13,995/pr EV900 references that occupies the spot between the EV1202 and the EV350. I enjoyed myself in this room, so much so that I might accept an invitation to visit Credo in Switzerland after the Munich show in May. Great, great sound from great people.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from FLAX 2023, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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