Lejonklou Entity phono preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Single-box moving coil phono preamplifier. Inputs: one stereo pair RCA. Outputs: one stereo pair RCA. Gain: 71dB. Input impedance (switchable): 90, 120, 180 ohms, 10nF. Max nominal cartridge output level: 0.4mV at 3.54cm/s. Output impedance: 300 ohms. Power consumption: less than 5W.
Dimensions: 4.1" (103mm) × 2.3" (59mm) × 7.1" (180mm). Weight: 2.1lb (970gm).
Finish: Black.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 057. Manufactured in Sweden.
Price: $2695. Approximate number of dealers: 9. Warranty: Five years parts and labor, transferrable.
Manufacturer: Lejonklou HiFi AB, Skolgatan 3 753 12 Uppsala, Sweden. Tel: +4670 558 0549. Web: lejonklou.com. US distributor: Nokturne Audio, 8259 Hugh St., Westland, MI 48185. Tel: (734) 612-4009. email: info@nokturneaudio.com Web: nokturneaudio.com

COMPANY INFO
Lejonklou HiFi AB
US distributor: Nokturne Audio
8259 Hugh St.
Westland, MI 48185
(734) 612-4009
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
Glyn davis's picture

More and more Reviewers seem to want to give some sort of preamble to the review, Art could do thia for the simple reason that he was a Writer.He could have written about plumbing and still have held the readers interest.The present generation of Reviewers , with maybe 3 exceptions, cannot.
If you're not a gifted writer, you can still make sure your work is factually accurate. Buddhas Country of birth?????

michaelavorgna's picture

...you want to get your facts straight.

The writing you're referring to here was written by a Writer. Educate yourself with a simple search. I recommend Alex's pieces on butter and Rodney Dangerfield.

And re. Buddha, the piece references his place of death, not birth.

Michael Lavorgna
Editor, Twittering Machines

johnnythunder1's picture

The constant negativity of commenters here is getting tiring. If they only knew how much work goes into writing for consumer publications. Not publishing white papers or technical posts on blogs. That's writing too but it's academic or amateur hour and not consumer facing. And I would love one of them that wants to discuss how a particular piece of equipment makes one feel more connected to the music. Not to nitpick measurements, comparisons or costs. I enjoy your site btw.

Jim Austin's picture

Thanks for your comment Michael. You could also have mentioned the two books he has written, both of which were reviewed in the New York Times:

Speak, Memory?.

Or we could mention books he himself has reviewed in The NY Times:

Zoo Animals and Their Discontents.

Or maybe one's tastes turn more toward The New Yorker:

October's Child

Or, in pedagogical terms, we could mention that he teaches writing at NYU.

We can all agree that Art Dudley was an uncommonly gifted writer. But there are other gifted writers, and some of them write for Stereophile.

Jim Austin, Editor
Stereophile

Mars2k's picture

Points off for improper capitalization
Points off for punctuation
Points off for poor spelling
Negative 100 points for negative.
If you don’t like the narrative skip to the factual parts.
After all who put you in charge?

Glotz's picture

and I'd rather not insult writers that I enjoy.

volvic's picture

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this review including the opening paragraph, god I so want to own Shindo gear.

ken mac's picture

If this doesn't move you you're already dead.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-rodney-dangerfield.html

johnnythunder1's picture

That piece on Rodney is truly great. And the link to the clip of Rodney D on the Carson show he references:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrFgD9-l390

teched58's picture

. . . but not much of an engineer: "The cable swap changed the sound of the Entity to a degree I was unprepared for."

johnnythunder1's picture

writing about stereo equipment. I'll take the word of someone who "feels" music and can describe it in a smart and enjoyable way over one that can only base their perceptions on measurements. I find nothing wrong with that sentence. I know exactly what he means by it (as did the editor of Stereophile) and you don't need an engineers degree to understand that. You don't like it. Tough.

Jack L's picture

Hi

How come we NEED an engineer here to review "the cable swap" ? You think an engineer would get better ears than anybody else to tell the sonic difference ???

I happened to be an electrical engineer with substantial involvement in audio cables & wires, incidentally. FYI, I design/built 99.99% pure silver interconnects & power cords for many years now.

So please tell what can I help you technically ??

Listening to music is believing

Jack L

Why don't

teched58's picture

Hi, Jack-

You can't use an argument from authority ("I happen to be an electrical engineering. . . ") if the discipline which you're invoking avers that cables don't have any effect on baseband audio unless they comprise an RLC network which changes the FR of said cable.

BTW, I see you've changed your tagline. You used to write that you need your own ears to listen to believe. Now, you've made the path more direct: just listening and music, but no ears. The unnecessary, in-line distortion applied by that $63k switch box to line level signals which don't need a preamp anyway must have driven you to seek another path, which I applaud. Are we talking bone conduction, maybe?

Jack L's picture

Hi

Please don't put yr words in my mouth. Thanks. I never said so.

In fact, any insulated electrical conductor is a RLC circuit with dielectric loss along the entire cable run. The sending end & the receiving end are also RLC circuits. So we are talking a complex combination of 3 LCR AC circuits.

Therefore any bench test on a cable alone only provides cable data with reference to the testing equipment conditions, not the same resultant LCR impedances interconnecting the sending & receiving audio components.

That explains why same cable sounds different to many skeptical ears, including your truly's, when interconnecting different components. This is physics.

"you've made the path more direct: just listening and music, but no ears." qtd teched58

That is your strawman proposition, pal. We are born with a pair of ears which are used to hear as a matter of course. What made you fancy about bone conduction?

Likewise, when we go to dine, do you need to remind the waiter to serve with knife & fork ???

Listening is believing

Jack L

teched58's picture

. . . I can't fault you for your sense of humor, since apparently you don't have one. (My comments were intended to be lighthearted in nature, not a criticism of your "Wistening is beweiving" ethos.)

Jack L's picture

Hi

In fact "bone conduction" is always involved in hearing. But not the same "bone conduction" you have had in mind.

Soundwaves from the sources, e.g. L & R loudspeakers, hit BOTH our L & R ears. Soundwavs from L channel hit the R ears for some microscopic time slower than R channel soundwaves hitting the same R ear. Vise versa for the L ears. A minute part of the soundwaves received by the L ear also goes to the R ear via "bone conduction" & vise vera for the R ear.

Such soundwaves 'cross-talks' give our brain the spatial perspectives of the live performance reproduced by the loudspeakers.

But headphone music does not provide such abundant spatial luxury as L channel music only goes to the L ear & same for the R ear.

Listening with both ears is believing

Jack L

Ambassador's picture

One fact check for Alex Halberstadt's review of the Lejonklou Entity. Ivor Tiefenbrun of Linn did not popularize The Tune Method, he popularized TuneDem. Lejonklou took TuneDem and added a proxy religious credo as a preface to the TuneDem original. The Tune Method begins with the performance of the artists to the recording, adds a hierarchy of equipment, components of equipment and so forth. Strict adherence to this credo is a requirement of Lejonklou's forum. Except when Lejonklou and his cronies choose to ignore their own credo.

Lejonklou's Tune Method has failed him frequently as has his narcissism. When either fails him whole forum threads can disappear. Or individual posts. One example was Lejonklou's assertion that changing the name of one's internet network to Lejonklou would result in more musicality from his streamer. If that snake oil isn't enough to doubt the man or his team, try this. He asserts that speaker cable is more musical if it's 2.48m. As a former Linn dealer his brand loyalty is almost charming. However to assert that OEM Linn speaker cable, interconnects, cartridges, turntable felt mats etc. are the best in the world defies logic.

If audio voodoo is your bag head over to the Lejonklou forum. Lejonklou (aided by O'Keefe) will satisfy your needs. Have any of these assertions been proved by blind tests? Hell no.

The marketing line about testing each component is pure hype. Many recommended components display no evidence of testing - a few have been shown to be faulty (by design).

Ambassador's picture

The self proclaimed "LP12 Whisperer" opines today on the woods used for Linn LP12 plinths. He likens their characteristics to musical instruments: "I have heard it said that wooden musical instruments also get better sounding the more they are played, as if the notes and harmonics cause a slight restructuring of the wood. Seems like a possibility to me. Imagine what 250+ years of burn-in does for a violin?". He uses a tap test to determine relative musicality of various woods.

Here's the rub:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHXOPjI9l0I

Top violinists in blind trials could not differentiate between famous old violins and new ones by their sound. Good luck with the tap test LP12 Whisperer!

Lejonklou's attitude to tests is as problematic as his, "source first" credo. 20-30% of the source is in SW frequency response. Lejonklou is on record as stating that, "bass is not a musical term". Therefore Ron Carter et al are playing a guitar. Source first as part of the Tune Method scientology? Lejonklou doesn't like bass in the source.

On testing, let's be clear. On the manufacturing side Lejonklou claims to test every component (except when he doesn't). On the sound output side he didn't want any measurements of his equipment released in the U.S. But had to because of American law.

Buyer beware: these guys are charlatans. If your HiFi test is better from your kitchen why not stand outside your property? It's B.S.

tenorman's picture

Great review . Very informative and enjoyable read. Please review the Lejonklou Beozu integrated amplifier. Thank you

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