The Veloce Audio LS-1 Platino Linestage is an exceptional piece of audio equipment that, during its short run of production, has garnered significant praise in the high-fidelity audio community. Having lived with the LS-1 for almost a year now, I can honestly say that it’s possibly the best linestage that I’ve owned. In saying this, my points of reference include the Emotive Audio Sira LE, the Emotive Audio Epifania, and the Allnic Audio L-5000 DHT.
Build Quality and Design
At first glance, the Veloce Audio LS-1 Platino Linestage impresses with its impeccable build quality and sophisticated yet somewhat retro-looking design. The chassis is constructed from premium materials, providing not only a robust and durable exterior but also an elegant and understated aesthetic that would complement any high-end audio setup. The designers at Veloce Audio paid meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that every aspect of the linestage’s construction exudes quality and precision. The front panel is set in chrome, with the 4 x 6H30 tubes protruding from the facia horizontally – a clean and intuitive design, featuring well-crafted controls that offer a satisfying tactile response, further enhancing the user experience. Likewise, the remote is a solid chunk of aluminum and has a good hand-feel.
Technical Excellence – Battery Power
One of the most distinctive features of the LS-1 Linestage is its reliance on battery power. This design choice is particularly noteworthy, as it sets the LS-1 apart from the majority of its competitors. The use of batteries eliminates the noise and interference often associated with AC power supplies, resulting in an exceptionally low noise floor. This characteristic allows the LS-1 to deliver a remarkably transparent and pure sound. You’ll know instantly when you hear it: music emerging from an inky black background. The absence of power supply noise translates into unparalleled clarity, allowing every nuance of the music to be heard, clearly and distinctly. Note – The original Platino series was upgradable to full ‘lithio’ battery, and my unit has had this upgrade performed by the previous owner.
Sound Quality and Performance
The Veloce Audio LS-1 Linestage offers an expansive and transparent window into the music, revealing layers of detail that are often obscured by lesser components. The soundstage presented by the LS-1 is both wide and deep, providing a realistic and immersive listening experience. Instrumental separation is excellent, allowing each element of the music to be clearly defined and placed within the soundstage. This level of detail and spatial accuracy creates a sense of presence that is highly engaging and enjoyable.
The frequency extension of the LS-1 is another area where the Veloce excels. The linestage delivers deep, controlled bass that provides a solid foundation for the music without becoming muddy, loose, or overbearing. Midrange frequencies are handled with exceptional finesse, rendering vocals and instruments with a natural and lifelike quality. There’s a heightened sense of presence in the midrange that comes naturally from the 6H30 tube. It isn’t warm and syrupy in the classic Conrad Johnson sense, nor is it hard, etched, and clinical as that provided by some of the modern tube preamps, including several of those from Audio Research – it’s just a slight hue, a pleasant sense of flesh-on-bone, without any unnatural exaggeration. High frequencies are extended and airy, providing a sense of openness and detail that is both revealing of the source material yet at the same time natural and musical. This balanced and coherent frequency response ensures that the Veloce LS-1 performs admirably across a wide range of musical genres, from classical and jazz to rock and electronic music. It does not however provide any guarantee that everything in your music collection is going to sound good. This level of detail and transparency does come at a price. Those Frank Zappa recordings from the ’70s that were transferred over to digital format (CD) might sound a little hair-raising if you’re too liberal with the volume control!
Transparency
Though already noted above, it’s worth repeating, as it’s something this linestage does that I haven’t heard any other linestage do, to this extent. One of the most striking aspects of the LS-1 Linestage is its ability to combine transparency with musicality. The linestage’s transparent nature allows it to faithfully reproduce the source material, conveying the intent and emotion of the performers with remarkable accuracy. At the same time, the LS-1 manages to avoid sounding clinical or analytical, instead offering a rich and engaging listening experience that draws the listener into the music. This balance between transparency and musicality is, I believe, something that only a battery-powered linestage can do.
Versatility and Compatibility
The LS-1 Linestage is designed to integrate seamlessly into any audio system and pairs beautifully with its siblings, the Veloce Audio Saetta hybrid battery monoblocks. Offering a range of input and output options in RCA, and with a single balanced input and output, it can accommodate easy integration with any source component or most power amps. Dual outputs allow it to drive a power amp and a pair of stereo subs if that’s your thing. Controls are clear – there’s an LED display on the front panel that’s clear enough from a distance but doesn’t light up the music room when you’re enjoying your sounds with the lights off. The battery control unit is elegantly styled with the Veloce logo on the front, but it’s small enough to be tucked away out of sight if you prefer not to have it displayed in the rack. The umbilical is 8′ so it can be stashed well away from the equipment rack.
Usability
In terms of usability, the Veloce LS-1 Linestage is straightforward to set up and operate. The user manual is comprehensive and clearly written, providing detailed instructions for installation and operation. Once installed, the LS-1 requires minimal maintenance, thanks to its robust design and high-quality components. The battery power system is designed to provide long-lasting performance, and the lithio battery pack can be sourced easily enough if a replacement is ever needed. The 6H30 tubes are easy enough to source online. I replaced the set that came with my unit with a premium matched quad from Upscale Audio. The premium price didn’t really translate into any uplift in sound, so the Veloce LS-1 is probably not a tube-roller’s preamp. The 6H30’s last a long time, so this pre really doesn’t suffer from any of the maintenance foibles associated with typical tube gear.
Operation of the unit is super-slick. Press the power button on the remote and the front panel lights up and pulses while the unit goes through its start-up routine. After around 30 seconds the flashing stops and the LEDs come to a steady state, at which point it’s ready to operate. I’ve never had an issue of powering up the unit when the power amp is powered, so there are no nasty pops or discharges and it appears safe to use this preamp with a power amp that remains powered all the time. Once powered, the unit comes up to full strength quickly, and there’s no prolonged warm-up period as with many other tube designs. Fifteen minutes is all you need for the unit to perform at 100% of its sonic capabilities.
Turning the unit off from the remote shuts down the LED display and the battery controller comes into play, switching over automatically to begin restoring full charge to the LS-1’s lithium batteries. A full charge will keep the unit playing for many, many, hours – I’ve never fully depleted the battery, even when accidentally leaving the preamp on overnight. A recharge from 4 hours of playback takes less than 10 minutes. It’s safe to say that there’s absolutely no downside to battery operation, other than the small additional box that you’ll need to accommodate.
Partnering Gear
I’ve used the Veloce Audio LS-1 with a range of power amps and I’ve never encountered a compatibility issue. Power amps I’ve hung off this thing include: Veloce Audio’s own Saetta Hybrid monoblocks, Allnic Audio A-6000 300b monoblocks, Krell KSA 80 class-A stereo amp, Dennis Had KT-88, Sim Audio Moon W5.3SE, and a variety of other amps that have come and gone from my review system.
Customer Support and Legacy
Although Veloce Audio is no longer in business, the legacy of the LS-1 Linestage continues through the dedicated support of its designer. This ongoing support is a significant advantage for owners of the LS-1, as it ensures that they can continue to enjoy the linestage’s exceptional performance with confidence in its longevity and reliability.
Wrapping Up –
In conclusion, the Veloce Audio LS-1 Linestage is a remarkable piece of audio equipment that stands out for its technical excellence, exceptional sound quality, and thoughtful design. Its battery-powered operation and resulting low-noise floor provide a level of transparency and purity that is truly impressive. The LS-1 offers a detailed and immersive listening experience, with excellent frequency extension and a balanced, musical presentation. Its versatility, ease of use, and ongoing support from the designer make it a safe bet and a valuable addition to any high-end audio system. Of course, if you decide to buy one of these it will be sourced only from the used market.
Tips for buying used – Make sure that the unit operates and comes out of its power-up cycle. Make sure also that the remote is available and intact, as you’ll need it to switch inputs (it defaults to the last used input on power-up, but there’s no way to select inputs from the main chassis itself). For used pricing, I’ve seen these as low as $3500 and as high as $5000 (in 2023). Having sold last at an MSRP of $18,000, anything under $5000 used is an absolute bargain. I paid $6000 used for my Allnic Audio L-5000 DHT and the Veloce Audio LS-1 is a better sounding linestage. I paid $7500 used for the Emotive Audio Epifania and the Veloce LS-1 holds its own. Frankly, $7000 wouldn’t be too high a price to pay used for the LS-1, assuming you’re not a gear flipper and you’re looking for an end-game linestage.
Good luck finding one!
CAH 2023
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