Review sample supplied by hexagonaudio
Retail price in the NL (incl 21% VAT): €2.050
Functionality
With their understated appearance, Lejonklou products are not about lavish appearance. Instead, they are all about emotional involvement, connecting you to the music, the musicians, and their interplay. Fredrik Lejonklou never talks about how his products sound, but whether they reflect the emotion in the music and convey it to the listener. If the music played through Lejonklou products does not move or fascinate him enough, he returns to the drawing board and works on the design until the ‘goosebump factor’ reaches the intended benchmark. As a result, there are never any unnecessary elements on Lejonklou products if they do not contribute to this goal, and there are certainly never any detrimental elements.
The Entity has a captive power cable cut to a specific length. It offers a single set of inputs and outputs and has a switch to select the load at 90, 120, and 180 Ohms. The input sensitivity is specified at 0.4mV with 71dB gain, and the output impedance is 300 Ohms. Besides the loading, there is nothing else to configure, and because it consumes less than 5 Watts, it can be left switched on indefinitely.
Even though the power cable is captive, the manual specifies that the power connector must be inserted in the power outlet in a certain orientation to achieve the weakest electrical field around the power supply which improves the sound. In other words, mind the phase. I always do, and I can confirm that the Entity does indeed sound best when connected as specified.
Entity versions
As new insights form and modifications have proven to produce better sound, Fredrik Lejonklou applies tweaks to existing products. He does not tread lightly and will not apply changes if they lead only to a technical advantage. The change must always retain the component’s natural flow and pure emotive power. The updates are usually very subtle, but in all cases, I have experienced them so far, and they are always musically rewarding.
Above: Entity 1.0; Below: Entity 1.2. Note the flush black screws and the two gold dots next to the serial number, indicating the second revision, ie Entity 1.2.
The first Entity that I heard was the 1.0, introduced in 2019. I found it was cut from the same cloth as the Lejonklou pre- and power amplifier components I reviewed earlier. As I recall, the initial Entity sounded remarkably transparent, neither warm nor cool, beautifully airy and refined, gentle yet upbeat, and deliciously fluid.
The next Entity model I heard was the 1.1 introduced in February 2021, which included a newly added circuit equalizing idling currents. Alas, I was not able to compare it directly to its predecessor at the time, but having heard the new model in comparison with a couple of other preamps that I also used with the initial Entity model, I was impressed to find it has retained its well-balanced, transparent, fluid, and highly refined sound, but now coupled with much-improved solidity, robustness, and dynamic slam.
And that brings us to the subject of this review, the Entity 1.2, which was introduced in September 2022. the Entity 1.2 includes new chassis ground parts and a specific fastening torque for its chassis screws.
It is good to note that all models can be upgraded to the latest 1.2 specification.
System context
Between the last Entity review and this one, my systems have changed. The Origin Live Calypso Mk4 turntable with Illustrious arm and Vira Aidas Rainbow MC cartridge in the main system have made way for the AVIDHIFI Sequel SP with Audio Origami PU-7 tonearm and AVIDHIFI BORON MC Cartridge. In the Secondary system, I have been using the AVIDHIFI Pulsare II phono stage with the Thorens TD1601 with ZYX Bloom3 Silver Plate MC Cartridge in the secondary system. It is in the context of these systems that the Entity 1.2 will be assessed.
My long-time audio buddy JW purchased the Entity 1.1 immediately after hearing it as part of my review, citing the best performance he has heard in his system since the Jeff Rowland Consonance’s built-in phono stage and the Benz Lukaschek PP1. This provided the opportunity to also directly compare the new Entity 1.2 to the previous 1.1 model in his Zesto/Thorens/Apogee system.
Entity 1.1 versus Entity 1.2 – First Impressions
The Entity 1.2 sounds very much like a Lejonklou, which is to say it is well-balanced, agile, transparent, fluid, and refined. In my initial comparison with the Entity 1.1 in JW’s system, we were amazed that the seemingly simple modification (new chassis ground parts and a specific fastening torque) yielded distinct advantages.
Most notably, the updated model sounds more vigorous, propulsive, and ballsy, with considerably more grip and more impactful dynamic behavior. However, during this initial comparison, we also found that JW’s older Entity 1.1 sounded more airy, fluid, and refined, and more continuous in its flow. By comparison, the new model sounded technically superb but emotionally less engaging. This prompted me to consider the Entity 1.2’s very low play hour count.
When reviewing earlier Entity models, I was unaware of any major running-in phenomena. I’m not sure now if those models were run in or not. In any case, when listening to the Entity 1.1 review sample in the context of my own two systems, or in JW’s system, for that matter, I never felt that it needed more time to come on song. In retrospect, however, JW recalls that his newly purchased Entity 1.1 sample did take some time to run in.
Next: Running In
The Entity has one big problem: It is too good !
My demo sample has some 50 hours clocked now using the KAB inverted RIAA with CD player on repeat in between listening sessions. Got this sample 3 days ago. Hooked within few minutes and it keeps evolving, blossoming. So much Musik pouring out such a little black box… And this time no need for extra lottery tickets.
Hi. I know it could be difficult, but how this one compares to the Pass Labs XP-17?
Best,
Óscar
That’s hard to say off the top of my head and without direct comparison. But I would say the Pass is likely a little more solid and immediate but the Lejonklou is likely airier and more fluid. But pls take this with lots of salt as I am comparing in memory to a component that I have not heard in many years.