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RE: Laid back and romantic int amp.

Did not have a chance to compare both Moonriver integrated amps. Per Gene Rubin they both have the same sonic characteristics the major difference being the beefed up power supply of the reference model. Having had both the regular LFD IV before the NCSE I liked the added headroom of the more powerful LFD NCSE. For that reason I chose the Moonriver reference. There is a recent review on the-EAR -net comparing both Moonriver integrated amps which may be helpful. It has been about 5 years since I had the LFD amp and I owned different speakers at the time so I can't provide a good comparison of the two at this time. If memory serves I would say the LFD may have have been a little to smooth sounding to me. I had a 10 watt el84 based amp after and felt it brought a bit more life to music. The Moonriver reminds me a bit of a more powerful tube amp. Soundstage is big with great sense of space . Vocals are as good as or possibly better than the Still audio el84 integrated I was using before. Definitely has a great sense of ease -doesn't seem to run out of steam when played loudly and handles complex music well. Speakers are Pure Audio Duet which are spec's at 96 db efficiency which helps.
I have no affiliation with Gene Rubin Audio but would recommend talking to him if you have interest in the Moonriver/Harbeth combo. I owned the Harbeth C7 speakers when I owned the LFD and it was a great combo as well. With that being said The Moonriver will probably in my home long term.
Good luck.

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