HiFi-Advice Reviews the Crescendo CHORUS: "Ridiculously Well at the Price Point"
- Laiv
- May 31
- 2 min read
A big thank you to Christiaan Punter of HiFi-Advice for one of the most thorough and methodical reviews the Crescendo CHORUS has received. Christiaan is known in the European hi-fi community for technically grounded reviews, careful listening methodology, and a reference system that places products in a very revealing context. When he tests something, there is no place to hide.
What sets this review apart is the depth of testing. Christiaan evaluated the CHORUS across four different speakers, in both stereo and bridged mono modes, and compared it directly against LAiV's own Harmony GaNM amplifiers and a reference system that costs many times more. That kind of rigorous, multi-speaker, multi-configuration comparison is rare, and we are grateful for the effort.
His findings? In stereo mode, the CHORUS delivers what Christiaan describes as "remarkably sophisticated sound," with detail, transparency, fluid treble, and subtle warmth. Switching to bridged mono mode with a pair of CHORUS amplifiers, he describes the improvement as "1+1=3," with increased solidity, drive, expression, and dynamics while retaining all the refinement. He notes that the CHORUS is sweeter, warmer, and more delicate than the Harmony GaNM, with airier treble, and "every bit as resolving." He also found the CHORUS paired with the Crescendo Verse to be "sweet, sophisticated, and highly refined," performing at a level that would require at least twice the investment to significantly improve.
In the interest of transparency: Christiaan notes that the GaNM delivers a purer, timbrally more realistic sound with spicier transient behaviour, and that the CHORUS in stereo mode does not sound as solid and expressive as the larger amplifiers. These are exactly the kinds of trade-offs we designed into the Crescendo line, delivering a different sonic character at a lower price point rather than a lesser version of the same thing.
He concludes with the HFA Highly Recommended award, noting that even at double the cost, a pair of CHORUS amplifiers remains a cost-effective path into high-quality GaN amplification.
Read the full review at https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/amplifier-reviews/power-amplifier-reviews/laiv-chorus-stereo-mono-power-amplifier/. Christiaan's three-page deep dive is one of the most thorough amplifier reviews you will find, and it is well worth your time.
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Credit: Christiaan Punter
Creator @ hifi-advice.com
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