Lampi pacific in the House

[Alrainbow]

Mike please put at first post if you can please.
Thanks al d

My Pacific Voyage

by Al Dattolo

Intro:

As many of you may know from my posts, I have been a Lampizator fan for several years and own a couple of their DACs. I have been enthusiastic about this small company and it unique offerings for some time and the announcement of the Pacific piqued my interest deeply.

About 3 weeks ago I got an offer I couldn’t refuse when my friend, Fred A., who happens to be the North American Distributor of LampizatOr, offered to loan me his personal Pacific while his home was being renovated. I quickly accepted the offer and setup a day to meet up and collect it.

The Pacific came in a large heavily reinforced transport case, similar to the kind used for roadies in shows. Inside it was heavily padded. Shiny? Yes. Bling? Yes-- but not over the top. It's gold finish is elegant without being over the top gaudy. The Riccardo Kron tubes in their custom
boxes are another “perfect 10" in my book as well. For me these choices seem right for a flagship product.

Upon getting the unit placed it in my rack I let it warm up for two hours with the Riccardo Kron edition 300b and 5u4G tubes it came with.

Background:

Before diving straight into my review, I want to say a little about myself. I have spent the better part of my life pursuing high end audio. As a teenager I built my first stereo from parts bought from a local audio store called “Lafayette Electronics”.
Does that name sound familiar? It should--they were "da bomb" many, many years ago. I remember fondly those days as I had speakers, headphones even a customized car stereo.

In those days there were three ways to play audio: vinyl and tape and of course a radio. In my view it's well merited that to this day both vinyl and tape remain the pinnacle of high end audio reproduction .

My present system is made up of collection of both new and old components. Some say the equipment of the past was better than the present in many aspects and that more often than not newer is not better, and I believe there is merit to this thinking... When solid state came out I was there
and when the shiny discs came out I was there too. Back then I had all (built by me) David Hafler stuff. Amps , preamp , equalizer too.

What I noticed back then was a heightened level of detail relative to what I’d experienced before. Sonically speaking, I’ve always been somewhat of a detail junkie and, as my equipment improved over time, complexities and trade off associated with the chase became apparent.

As a final introductory note: Honesty isn’t always welcome in forum posts, and I do, on occasion, catch hell for it. I never post about things I have not tried or do not understand, unless I am attempting to learn something for myself.

My current configuration is as follows:

Speakers - Infinity IRS V completely revamped by me.
New magnets , wires , new cross over (now external) designed and voiced by Arnie Nudel himself (what could be better?) Also, a new balanced active cross over also by Arnie and along with a new PSU . All work was done by ps audio. I also commissioned a analog phase shifter/adjuster for the woofer towers .

Amplification is a heavily modified Aragon 4004 Mkii with custom power supply scheme.

Preamplifier duties are handled though the analog inputs by my MSB Platinum+ 4

DACS : MSB Platinum plus 4 new USB input, LampizatOr Big 7 (2017 vintage), a custom

LampizatOr Golden Gate Headdac with super clocks , R2R Pcm384/DSD256 , chipless DSD512. It was made to be neutral for headphones and has a driver tube with a bypass switch . It's SE with many tube rolling options .

Source - My server is a self built dual PC setup. My player PC hosts Roon while the computer interfacing with the DAC hosts HQ Player. Both computers use Windows SERVER 2016, Audiophile Optimizer, a full size Gamer Motherboard with 4 feed digital controlled cpu voltage reg with a 3.5ghz Xeon cpu . This is for both player PC and dac PC. A custom NAS (actually a storage area network -SAN) with a full size main board 6 core cpu . 4 spinning drives holding about 20TB of music. 4 external LPS power supplies are used for all and many voltage bus feeds for all drives and on board devices. Enterprise grade LAN cards and LPS. Network switch on its own separate network.

Review:

I believe the servers I use allow me to extract the very best a DAC is capable of, although this can be a double edged sword at times. It leaves nowhere to hide for the limit of the dac's capability: noise floor, imaging, micro and macro details. and finally dynamics. Upon listening to the Pacific for the first time in my system, it showed me much more details than I normally have in my system and seems not to have a sound of its own. What this means is each track has its own sound. A good friend explained that is what Ultra Hi-End audio reproduction should be. This dac has this in spades! As a result of this, my personal reference tracks were like brand new to me, despite hearing them hundreds of times. The resolution I am describing is more complex than just more sounds. The sound I have been experiencing gives me whole new layers in playback. I can hear the vocals slightly change in sound level even the piano keys intensity is there. To say the Pacific was better than my own reference HeadDac is an oversimplification, to really describe it I needed many hours to get into words what's better.

From the Moment I turned the Pacific on it was clear this was levels above what I had ever had in my system. In fact, even the very best, cost-no-object, DACs in world class systems, don't have the Pacific’s level of refinement. Let's define refinement on my terms, it means cleaner sounds, more bloom around the notes or vocals, yet not pointed nor thin. Notes or vocal decay is what attaches me to the music and as you get hyper details, it's usually thinner by nature. The gift of refinement is to have both details presented along with the note decay and sustain that makes allows a piece to retain it’s weight . The sound this dac gives is the most detailed I have experienced, yet it truly retains the decay! Not even some very expensive dacs I have heard give this level of refinement. Noise floor: this is of the most important in any ultra high end system. Silence is what we want.

My system is fed from a 10kw balanced isolation transformer. It is completely isolated in the ground plain of my home or power grid . This gives my setup a base noise floor much lower than the use of typical room power. Most don't use or understand the vast inportance of this power distribution system . It's how I am able to hear the musical fine details that I speak of. While the Pacific will take most any setup to the next level of sound, in my own system I hear just how limitless this DAC’s noise floor is. To hear the vocalist breathe and form their next word makes me feel I am at the mic feed level. No dac I have had or heard gives this kind of "you are there" feel. To hear the slightest change in inflection of a piano while singing is what ultra hi end is about layers that seem so separate yet from the same song is almost unnerving to me. I have told others that any horn or string Instrument has a rise and fall of each note. On a saxophone or horn I call it a “croak”. It is the start of a note as blown onto the reed. Smearing of this is typical in lesser dacs as they can't seem to get or hold this kind of detail. Part of this may be related to their reproduction of decay–lesser DACs, even backed by the best of servers, do not and cannot present this no matter what I do.

I don't build servers commercially, rather it is a labor of love for me and I have restlessly sought to extract additional levels of refinement in them. In doing so I know what makes a dac sound great, but the dac can only play at its own inherent limit. The Pacific dac gives me the most detailed note decay, yet still as fast I have ever had in my system. What is needed in any ultra high end system is just a handful of parameters: clarity, fast dynamics, micro and macro details (note decay resides in these two) and low noise floor . Seems like a small order, no? Notice a house sound is not included in the list! No dac should have house sound but most do and in the past even Lampizator was guilty of this as well. The Pacific, however, distinguishes itself in that it does not. Though difficult to describe, it is simple to appreciate once you it in a system that can give you this.

To be continued with next installment very soon

[AJR]

When do you expect to receive it? Am looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Very exciting!

[joeinid]

Congratulations.

[baddog]

What's the MSRP on those? Is it top of the pyramid?

[Golum]

TOTL -> price mark 25k if I'm not mistaken...

[Mike]

What's the MSRP on those? Is it top of the pyramid?

$30k

[Audio 1]

What's the MSRP on those? Is it top of the pyramid?

$30k

Yes definitely the top of the chain.
Almost $27k for the base single ended model without inputs and volume control.
The unit shown at Axpona with the inputs and VC will get you to $30k. Balanced is more ...
But definitely a beautiful looking and sounding DAC!

[Alrainbow]

The dac has been here for about a week already
Comments comming soon so far it’s a new level of sound in my system
it yields detailed layers that make me feel my music is all new
both pcm and dsd are great.
I have rolled a barrage of tubes as well.

[Nikhil]

Congratulations Al!
Looking forward to your listening impressions.


Regards.

[Alrainbow]

Reserved

Mike please put at first post if you can please.
Thanks al d

My Pacific Voyage

by Al Dattolo

Intro:

As many of you may know from my posts, I have been a Lampizator fan for several years and own a couple of their DACs. I have been enthusiastic about this small company and it unique offerings for some time and the announcement of the Pacific piqued my interest deeply.

About 3 weeks ago I got an offer I couldn’t refuse when my friend, Fred A., who happens to be the North American Distributor of LampizatOr, offered to loan me his personal Pacific while his home was being renovated. I quickly accepted the offer and setup a day to meet up and collect it.

The Pacific came in a large heavily reinforced transport case, similar to the kind used for roadies in shows. Inside it was heavily padded. Shiny? Yes. Bling? Yes-- but not over the top. It's gold finish is elegant without being over the top gaudy. The Riccardo Kron tubes in their custom
boxes are another “perfect 10" in my book as well. For me these choices seem right for a flagship product.

Upon getting the unit placed it in my rack I let it warm up for two hours with the Riccardo Kron edition 300b and 5u4G tubes it came with.

Background:

Before diving straight into my review, I want to say a little about myself. I have spent the better part of my life pursuing high end audio. As a teenager I built my first stereo from parts bought from a local audio store called “Lafayette Electronics”.
Does that name sound familiar? It should--they were "da bomb" many, many years ago. I remember fondly those days as I had speakers, headphones even a customized car stereo.

In those days there were three ways to play audio: vinyl and tape and of course a radio. In my view it's well merited that to this day both vinyl and tape remain the pinnacle of high end audio reproduction .

My present system is made up of collection of both new and old components. Some say the equipment of the past was better than the present in many aspects and that more often than not newer is not better, and I believe there is merit to this thinking... When solid state came out I was there
and when the shiny discs came out I was there too. Back then I had all (built by me) David Hafler stuff. Amps , preamp , equalizer too.

What I noticed back then was a heightened level of detail relative to what I’d experienced before. Sonically speaking, I’ve always been somewhat of a detail junkie and, as my equipment improved over time, complexities and trade off associated with the chase became apparent.

As a final introductory note: Honesty isn’t always welcome in forum posts, and I do, on occasion, catch hell for it. I never post about things I have not tried or do not understand, unless I am attempting to learn something for myself.

My current configuration is as follows:

Speakers - Infinity IRS V completely revamped by me.
New magnets , wires , new cross over (now external) designed and voiced by Arnie Nudel himself (what could be better?) Also, a new balanced active cross over also by Arnie and along with a new PSU . All work was done by ps audio. I also commissioned a analog phase shifter/adjuster for the woofer towers .

Amplification is a heavily modified Aragon 4004 Mkii with custom power supply scheme.

Preamplifier duties are handled though the analog inputs by my MSB Platinum+ 4

DACS : MSB Platinum plus 4 new USB input, LampizatOr Big 7 (2017 vintage), a custom

LampizatOr Golden Gate Headdac with super clocks , R2R Pcm384/DSD256 , chipless DSD512. It was made to be neutral for headphones and has a driver tube with a bypass switch . It's SE with many tube rolling options .

Source - My server is a self built dual PC setup. My player PC hosts Roon while the computer interfacing with the DAC hosts HQ Player. Both computers use Windows SERVER 2016, Audiophile Optimizer, a full size Gamer Motherboard with 4 feed digital controlled cpu voltage reg with a 3.5ghz Xeon cpu . This is for both player PC and dac PC. A custom NAS (actually a storage area network -SAN) with a full size main board 6 core cpu . 4 spinning drives holding about 20TB of music. 4 external LPS power supplies are used for all and many voltage bus feeds for all drives and on board devices. Enterprise grade LAN cards and LPS. Network switch on its own separate network.

Review:

I believe the servers I use allow me to extract the very best a DAC is capable of, although this can be a double edged sword at times. It leaves nowhere to hide for the limit of the dac's capability: noise floor, imaging, micro and macro details. and finally dynamics. Upon listening to the Pacific for the first time in my system, it showed me much more details than I normally have in my system and seems not to have a sound of its own. What this means is each track has its own sound. A good friend explained that is what Ultra Hi-End audio reproduction should be. This dac has this in spades! As a result of this, my personal reference tracks were like brand new to me, despite hearing them hundreds of times. The resolution I am describing is more complex than just more sounds. The sound I have been experiencing gives me whole new layers in playback. I can hear the vocals slightly change in sound level even the piano keys intensity is there. To say the Pacific was better than my own reference HeadDac is an oversimplification, to really describe it I needed many hours to get into words what's better.

From the Moment I turned the Pacific on it was clear this was levels above what I had ever had in my system. In fact, even the very best, cost-no-object, DACs in world class systems, don't have the Pacific’s level of refinement. Let's define refinement on my terms, it means cleaner sounds, more bloom around the notes or vocals, yet not pointed nor thin. Notes or vocal decay is what attaches me to the music and as you get hyper details, it's usually thinner by nature. The gift of refinement is to have both details presented along with the note decay and sustain that makes allows a piece to retain it’s weight . The sound this dac gives is the most detailed I have experienced, yet it truly retains the decay! Not even some very expensive dacs I have heard give this level of refinement. Noise floor: this is of the most important in any ultra high end system. Silence is what we want.

My system is fed from a 10kw balanced isolation transformer. It is completely isolated in the ground plain of my home or power grid . This gives my setup a base noise floor much lower than the use of typical room power. Most don't use or understand the vast inportance of this power distribution system . It's how I am able to hear the musical fine details that I speak of. While the Pacific will take most any setup to the next level of sound, in my own system I hear just how limitless this DAC’s noise floor is. To hear the vocalist breathe and form their next word makes me feel I am at the mic feed level. No dac I have had or heard gives this kind of "you are there" feel. To hear the slightest change in inflection of a piano while singing is what ultra hi end is about layers that seem so separate yet from the same song is almost unnerving to me. I have told others that any horn or string Instrument has a rise and fall of each note. On a saxophone or horn I call it a “croak”. It is the start of a note as blown onto the reed. Smearing of this is typical in lesser dacs as they can't seem to get or hold this kind of detail. Part of this may be related to their reproduction of decay–lesser DACs, even backed by the best of servers, do not and cannot present this no matter what I do.

I don't build servers commercially, rather it is a labor of love for me and I have restlessly sought to extract additional levels of refinement in them. In doing so I know what makes a dac sound great, but the dac can only play at its own inherent limit. The Pacific dac gives me the most detailed note decay, yet still as fast I have ever had in my system. What is needed in any ultra high end system is just a handful of parameters: clarity, fast dynamics, micro and macro details (note decay resides in these two) and low noise floor . Seems like a small order, no? Notice a house sound is not included in the list! No dac should have house sound but most do and in the past even Lampizator was guilty of this as well. The Pacific, however, distinguishes itself in that it does not. Though difficult to describe, it is simple to appreciate once you it in a system that can give you this.

To be continued with next installment very soon

[Gopher]

Awesome read. Thanks for taking the time to pen your thoughts, Al!

[AJR]

Mike please put at first post if you can please.
Thanks al d

My Pacific Voyage

by Al Dattolo

Intro:

As many of you may know from my posts, I have been a Lampizator fan for several years and own a couple of their DACs. I have been enthusiastic about this small company and it unique offerings for some time and the announcement of the Pacific piqued my interest deeply.

About 3 weeks ago I got an offer I couldn’t refuse when my friend, Fred A., who happens to be the North American Distributor of LampizatOr, offered to loan me his personal Pacific while his home was being renovated. I quickly accepted the offer and setup a day to meet up and collect it.

The Pacific came in a large heavily reinforced transport case, similar to the kind used for roadies in shows. Inside it was heavily padded. Shiny? Yes. Bling? Yes-- but not over the top. It's gold finish is elegant without being over the top gaudy. The Riccardo Kron tubes in their custom
boxes are another “perfect 10" in my book as well. For me these choices seem right for a flagship product.

Upon getting the unit placed it in my rack I let it warm up for two hours with the Riccardo Kron edition 300b and 5u4G tubes it came with.

Background:

Before diving straight into my review, I want to say a little about myself. I have spent the better part of my life pursuing high end audio. As a teenager I built my first stereo from parts bought from a local audio store called “Lafayette Electronics”.
Does that name sound familiar? It should--they were "da bomb" many, many years ago. I remember fondly those days as I had speakers, headphones even a customized car stereo.

In those days there were three ways to play audio: vinyl and tape and of course a radio. In my view it's well merited that to this day both vinyl and tape remain the pinnacle of high end audio reproduction .

My present system is made up of collection of both new and old components. Some say the equipment of the past was better than the present in many aspects and that more often than not newer is not better, and I believe there is merit to this thinking... When solid state came out I was there
and when the shiny discs came out I was there too. Back then I had all (built by me) David Hafler stuff. Amps , preamp , equalizer too.

What I noticed back then was a heightened level of detail relative to what I’d experienced before. Sonically speaking, I’ve always been somewhat of a detail junkie and, as my equipment improved over time, complexities and trade off associated with the chase became apparent.

As a final introductory note: Honesty isn’t always welcome in forum posts, and I do, on occasion, catch hell for it. I never post about things I have not tried or do not understand, unless I am attempting to learn something for myself.

My current configuration is as follows:

Speakers - Infinity IRS V completely revamped by me.
New magnets , wires , new cross over (now external) designed and voiced by Arnie Nudel himself (what could be better?) Also, a new balanced active cross over also by Arnie and along with a new PSU . All work was done by ps audio. I also commissioned a analog phase shifter/adjuster for the woofer towers .

Amplification is a heavily modified Aragon 4004 Mkii with custom power supply scheme.

Preamplifier duties are handled though the analog inputs by my MSB Platinum+ 4

DACS : MSB Platinum plus 4 new USB input, LampizatOr Big 7 (2017 vintage), a custom

LampizatOr Golden Gate Headdac with super clocks , R2R Pcm384/DSD256 , chipless DSD512. It was made to be neutral for headphones and has a driver tube with a bypass switch . It's SE with many tube rolling options .

Source - My server is a self built dual PC setup. My player PC hosts Roon while the computer interfacing with the DAC hosts HQ Player. Both computers use Windows SERVER 2016, Audiophile Optimizer, a full size Gamer Motherboard with 4 feed digital controlled cpu voltage reg with a 3.5ghz Xeon cpu . This is for both player PC and dac PC. A custom NAS (actually a storage area network -SAN) with a full size main board 6 core cpu . 4 spinning drives holding about 20TB of music. 4 external LPS power supplies are used for all and many voltage bus feeds for all drives and on board devices. Enterprise grade LAN cards and LPS. Network switch on its own separate network.

Review:

I believe the servers I use allow me to extract the very best a DAC is capable of, although this can be a double edged sword at times. It leaves nowhere to hide for the limit of the dac's capability: noise floor, imaging, micro and macro details. and finally dynamics. Upon listening to the Pacific for the first time in my system, it showed me much more details than I normally have in my system and seems not to have a sound of its own. What this means is each track has its own sound. A good friend explained that is what Ultra Hi-End audio reproduction should be. This dac has this in spades! As a result of this, my personal reference tracks were like brand new to me, despite hearing them hundreds of times. The resolution I am describing is more complex than just more sounds. The sound I have been experiencing gives me whole new layers in playback. I can hear the vocals slightly change in sound level even the piano keys intensity is there. To say the Pacific was better than my own reference HeadDac is an oversimplification, to really describe it I needed many hours to get into words what's better.

From the Moment I turned the Pacific on it was clear this was levels above what I had ever had in my system. In fact, even the very best, cost-no-object, DACs in world class systems, don't have the Pacific’s level of refinement. Let's define refinement on my terms, it means cleaner sounds, more bloom around the notes or vocals, yet not pointed nor thin. Notes or vocal decay is what attaches me to the music and as you get hyper details, it's usually thinner by nature. The gift of refinement is to have both details presented along with the note decay and sustain that makes allows a piece to retain it’s weight . The sound this dac gives is the most detailed I have experienced, yet it truly retains the decay! Not even some very expensive dacs I have heard give this level of refinement. Noise floor: this is of the most important in any ultra high end system. Silence is what we want.

My system is fed from a 10kw balanced isolation transformer. It is completely isolated in the ground plain of my home or power grid . This gives my setup a base noise floor much lower than the use of typical room power. Most don't use or understand the vast inportance of this power distribution system . It's how I am able to hear the musical fine details that I speak of. While the Pacific will take most any setup to the next level of sound, in my own system I hear just how limitless this DAC’s noise floor is. To hear the vocalist breathe and form their next word makes me feel I am at the mic feed level. No dac I have had or heard gives this kind of "you are there" feel. To hear the slightest change in inflection of a piano while singing is what ultra hi end is about layers that seem so separate yet from the same song is almost unnerving to me. I have told others that any horn or string Instrument has a rise and fall of each note. On a saxophone or horn I call it a “croak”. It is the start of a note as blown onto the reed. Smearing of this is typical in lesser dacs as they can't seem to get or hold this kind of detail. Part of this may be related to their reproduction of decay–lesser DACs, even backed by the best of servers, do not and cannot present this no matter what I do.

I don't build servers commercially, rather it is a labor of love for me and I have restlessly sought to extract additional levels of refinement in them. In doing so I know what makes a dac sound great, but the dac can only play at its own inherent limit. The Pacific dac gives me the most detailed note decay, yet still as fast I have ever had in my system. What is needed in any ultra high end system is just a handful of parameters: clarity, fast dynamics, micro and macro details (note decay resides in these two) and low noise floor . Seems like a small order, no? Notice a house sound is not included in the list! No dac should have house sound but most do and in the past even Lampizator was guilty of this as well. The Pacific, however, distinguishes itself in that it does not. Though difficult to describe, it is simple to appreciate once you it in a system that can give you this.

To be continued with next installment very soon

What a review. You have missed your calling. Awesome.

[Alrainbow]

Thanks mike for locating it st the top.

[Mike]

Great review. Apologies for not posting sooner. When I had the Lampi Pacific in the store, it was different than the GG. More layering, more transparency, but still tonally rich. The Pacific really feels like Lampi 2.0 - an evolution and revolution.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Alrainbow]

Exactly mike it’s like a rebirth lol. The pcm is world class above any previous lampi Pcm before. As my review goes I will detail what I hear and truly musically new in my music
so much more info yet so easy to play and listen. No fatigue when playing loud

[Randy Myers]

Sounds incredible! My only issue would be that I would not be able to give it back after borrowing it .

Question, why have Roon on a seperate machine then HQPlayer? I found that they interface extremely good together and work great (maybe better) when ran on the same machine. I do know (because I have directly compared) that Roon Server version sounds better than the full version installed on the same machine with the controller software. I am referring to the headless server version where no controller is installed on your computer. This interfaces extremely well with HQPlayer.

I then run the Roon Controller version on my Surface Pro 3.

[Alrainbow]

Ok. Let’s say it this way so we are on the same page for me
gui and hq is a step backwards no doubt and we both agree right ?
I think we do this Is due to resources being used for the GUI version i feel.
Also of you back up roon know the backup cannot be used on gui or vice versa. They each need there own.
Sever and hq on one machine is nice now having said this two is better. Now if I may ask you a few questions of your set up
when you tried a two pc setup what was the network switch used ?
what is the OS used on both machines ?
Where do you keep your music ? What pc or nas ?
Two pc setups is levels in improvment as it yields more layers , less noise floor ,
a more refined type of details. Of your results are different and I am
nit saying it’s not for you. I really do want to know details of your setup. Your not the first to post this. A two pc setup is not hard especially if you have one. But there are settings and setup that matters plenty. One simple example is this. Ina two pc setup the player pc needs to be a full pc not a Nuc , next is the second pc does too. If one uses a Nuc as an naa it’s fine but if they use the Nuc to run hq this is off the path to inprovemt.

[Randy Myers]

What I was saying is that I tried the full version of Roon installed on my PC and I felt it did not sound as good as JRiver at the time. The Roon guy convinced me to try the headless server version, which is just the Roon engine without the GUI and use a seperate controller device. It sounded noticeably better, and much better than JRiver. I have sense evolved much further.

Currently I am using a Falcon Northwest machine that was originally high end, but compact gaming PC. It is in their Tiki case. I have reconfigured it for music only. It has a Devil's Canyon i7 CPU, 4 GHz... but a couple generations old now. 16 GB RAM, Gold Standard power supply.... I use only SSD.... currently have three totalling 2 TB. All of my music is stored internally.... the NAS is only for backup.

I recently added HQPlayer, installed on the same machine. I use Roon as the controller and interface and Roon hands off to HQPlayer as the upsampling and playback engine. I upsample everything to DSD512 with 48 base clock (24.6 MHz).

The machine is using Windows 10 Pro which serves my purposes fine. I RDP to it for any type of maintenance of file copies. No need for monitor, keyboard, and mouse to be connected.

I have an Android tablet that can work as the controller, but I prefer my Microsoft Surface Pro 3 as my Roon Controller.

So the Roon Core and HQPlayer run on the customized Tiki and Roon Controller runs on the Surface. All feeds into the T+A DAC.

I wish I could afford something like the Lampi, but for DSD I feel the T+A may be the next best thing.

[Alrainbow]

Wow is that poor computor busy lol. Not saying the desk is bad just very busy
when you tired two PCs what was the second one ?

[Randy Myers]

I never said I tried running Roon and HQPlayer on two machines. I just recently got into HQPlayer. What I said is I compared running Roon full version on a computer versus running Roon headless server and controlling from another Computer (my Surface). As long as I have had HQPlayer it has been installed on the same machine as Roon headless server.

[Alrainbow]

Sorry for my misunderstanding you and when I re read your post I realized it.
All I can say is if you heard the inprovemt from gui to non now imagine having a second machine running hq and upsampling that is very resource intensive. I don’t upsample my music for me it’s always better. But this has to do with dacs and presence. Upsampling has some virtues to it but has bad as well. Dsd 512 is the sweet spot for dsd upsampling though
i made a crazy fast sever latest I7 all out assault to do it. In the end it’s just not for me.

[Randy Myers]

Thx... I am glad you like HQPlayer and Roon. I totally agree... can't beat the combination. The T+A DAC8 DSD is the first one listed by HQPlayer on their recommended list. I will not try to say it compares to a Lampi, obviously it does not... but for me it is fantastic and surprisingly good in its price range. It considered to be a DSD specialist... and the up-samples sound great. I just compared a 44.1khz recording to the up-sampled and it was very dry, much less dynamics, bass was flat, impact was far less, and cymbals, bells, etc. were much worse when compared to the DSD512 48k base clock up-sampled.

[Alrainbow]

The t and a dac was made to upsample to dsd and it does not surprise me when it’s out of its design zone it’s not optimal. It’s tough to get it all.
The pacific dac does very good pcm so good I don’t care if it’s dsd or not anymore
while it’s dsd is outstanding most music we love is pcm even if over tidal.
If you have a second desk top or even a laptop try using it as roon sever and your present one
as the hq dac pc and upsample there.
If you have a extra sss drive just put a few good tracks on it to listen too.
Also you could try using the non audio one for hq and try not upsampling and upsampling as well. The virtue of two pcs especially in upsampling are very obvious

[Randy Myers]

I certainly understand the advantages to having more power... I am going to soon try off loading to Cuda cores. My one son will be returning my GXT980 soon. I will try the off loading after getting this card back in place.

The PC is doing pretty good as it is though. Why I got the machine originally from Falcon is their custom built cases and that they always have access to hand picked, best of the lot parts, being that they are the original custom PC builder.

[Alrainbow]

I tried coda offload as well. For me it does not onrpbe sound and made things not what I like
I had conversations with miska a nice man and makes a great product
having said this he is fixated on upsampling and it’s filters as I don’t up sample I feel it’s time or resources not spent well. Again my thoughts and there are plent who love doing this. I do feel if I had them in my room and allowed them to hear it both ways I have little doubt in the result being in my favor.

[jadedavid]

A nice shoot out on the same system (allowing for the different source requirements) would be Pacific PCM vs T&A 512.
That I would like to hear

[Marslo]

I had the opportunity to audition SGM server with HQ player plus Roon and T+A Dac 8 , everything was upsampled to 512 fs at Geoff Armstrong galerie in Monaco.
Despite the technical excellence of the sound I was not sure that it’ s the way to go- every recording sounded more or less the same.
For me too much upsampling and processing kills the soul of music , I am in the camp of „ native” pcm hires and dsd reproduction .

[Alrainbow]

I had two opertunities to have the SGM in my room. Both times I could not be there.
So what I did do is do extensive windows 10/SER 2012 /server 2016 on one machine so all hardware was the same. One hard drive three partitions.
All AO optimized
I have many versions of win 10
Even enterprise and versions made custom by shutting down services in both scripts and software revisions
After all was done win 10 does not have the magic of 2012 and far from 2016
Again my observations done By me and a Calibration Of a certified windows tech. We both have come to the same conclusions.
Yes he feels the same of upsampling too. But that is preference to some degree and if one has a T and A dac the choice has been forged at purchase
One of my machines can do any upsampling Scheme with hq player alone. It’s just not a winner for me.
As for a shootout yes love the concept but the pacific is far above most any dac and for me beyond even the Msb sel 2 even in red-book
Dsd while still best on-a lampi it’s is pcm that is the standout now.
dsp is much like upsampling in that it becomes the sound of the music As marslo posted it makes much of the music the same.
What makes an ultra system over just hifi is this change of track to track. Even the slight change in tone or loudness of vocals and instruments. It’s something you don’t know is there until your system can show you this.
Find a dsd of Ella and Louis
title track is why can’t we be friends
Ellla is a wonderful vocalist of the best of her time and now
in the song you can hear her slightly vary her sound level oh so little but it’s this that lets you know you have risen above the pack below that is Littered with almost there dacs.

[Randy Myers]

I would love to have a Lampi, and I fully expect it would be vastly superior to my T+A. It better be to be honest at $30,000 versus $4200. However, in a budget that I can afford I do not believe I could find a better over all sound then I am achieving with Roon -> HQPlayer -> DSD512 - 48 (24.6MHz) -> T+A DAC8 DSD.

Several members of our local audio club have came over during several phases of the upgrades. Many are vinyl enthusiasts also. They all believe that this digital setup is outstanding.

No one in our club has a Lampi, unfortunately, but we do have some good setups. I would say probably only one member plays at the same level you do however .... He is more of a vinyl guy though. His digital setup is using a dCS... however his current main gear is MBL, pre-amp, mono amps, speakers.... not sure what table he has, but I know he is using an ARC Ref10 phono stage.

The Lampi sounds like it would be amazing and I would love the opportunity to have one. I have a lot of PCM albums, both hi-rez downloads and CD rips, and many DSDs.... again both downloads and SACD rips. Mostly DSD64 (271 albums), but several DSD128 (20 albums), and DSD256 (13 albums). With something like the Lampi I may not be so inclined to up sample, but HQPlayer and my T+A DAC sound much better running everything at 24.6 (or 24M6 as T+A displays it).

[Alrainbow]

thank you your honest posts it’s truely nice to post and not get bashed
very kind of you may I ask where you live ?
And the name of your club. Also analog and digital are not the same as they should not be I feel. My best music is sourced from tape or vinyl to dsd as such it’s still the pinicle for me.
What digital is the preservation and simplistic playing of our music in a slightly different view.
Both are penthouse apartments lol just facing different Mountain View’s.

[Randy Myers]

Nipomo, CA is on the Central Coast of California. About halfway between LA and SF. Our audio club is called Central Coast Audio Club (real inventive there )....

[Alrainbow]

Hahaa let me let lampi know. Never know who has what and where

[Randy Myers]

Very cool. I have always loved the idea of a Lampi, but never have had the opportunity of playing with one.

[Gopher]

I would love to have a Lampi, and I fully expect it would be vastly superior to my T+A. It better be to be honest at $30,000 versus $4200. However, in a budget that I can afford I do not believe I could find a better over all sound then I am achieving with Roon -> HQPlayer -> DSD512 - 48 (24.6MHz) -> T+A DAC8 DSD.

Several members of our local audio club have came over during several phases of the upgrades. Many are vinyl enthusiasts also. They all believe that this digital setup is outstanding.

No one in our club has a Lampi, unfortunately, but we do have some good setups. I would say probably only one member plays at the same level you do however .... He is more of a vinyl guy though. His digital setup is using a dCS... however his current main gear is MBL, pre-amp, mono amps, speakers.... not sure what table he has, but I know he is using an ARC Ref10 phono stage.

The Lampi sounds like it would be amazing and I would love the opportunity to have one. I have a lot of PCM albums, both hi-rez downloads and CD rips, and many DSDs.... again both downloads and SACD rips. Mostly DSD64 (271 albums), but several DSD128 (20 albums), and DSD256 (13 albums). With something like the Lampi I may not be so inclined to up sample, but HQPlayer and my T+A DAC sound much better running everything at 24.6 (or 24M6 as T+A displays it).

FWIW, I have not heard the T+A myself, but this was an interesting review/comparison to the LampizatOr Atlantic in stock configuration: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/lampizator2/1.html

[Mr Peabody]

Gopher, is the Amber still current, if so, what's the price these days. For anyone who might read the thread or be interested in Lampizator DAC's it could be helpful to show where the line begins, that one don't have to spend five figures to get their feet wet.

[Gopher]

Gopher, is the Amber still current, if so, what's the price these days. For anyone who might read the thread or be interested in Lampizator DAC's it could be helpful to show where the line begins, that one don't have to spend five figures to get their feet wet.

Good idea, Mr. P.

Yes, there are indeed several more affordable options for the Lampi DACs coming in under 5,000 Euro

The Amber 2 is indeed still in the line up and is an absurdly nice piece. It starts at 2000 Euro and like the rest of our lineup, it is competent as is, but could be configured to meet ones needs (volume control, fully balanced, tube rectification etc.)

The Atlantic is a step up from the Amber. It starts at 4000 Euro and can also be configured to meet ones needs. It also comes in a Golden Atlantic "statement" which is what the Golden Gate is to the Big 7 line

From there is the 7 series (DHT DACs) which made the brand famous and starts at 5000 Euro

[Alrainbow]

Stay tuned part two coming shortly .

[Alrainbow]

PART 2:


It's been more than three weeks since the Pacific was installed in my system in this time I have played my now all new music hours each day . My comment of all new music is for me the most dramatic part of this dac. What I mean by my music is all new is a window into reproduction that seems correct and untainted by a house sound of the dac. No dac I have ever had in my system nor ever heard did not have a house sound. Many post of the virtues of a great dacs' house sound . In the past I too was onboard with this concept as a virtue as well. Over time a good audio bud has helped me bring my system to a new level of transparency . Let me describe transparency because some use this very needed word with varying interpretations.

For me it's a clear window , with glass so clear that any changes are observed without having to look for it. For me changes that are not noticed immediately are ok as some changes for me need a few mins to a few hours to really be digested. Once I learn it , it now becomes one more facet in pursuing better sound. There are many aspects of sonic change that's good , bad and ugly but any change must be heard and understood. Have you ever played a song perhaps on Tidal and now remastered on MQA . At first play it may wow you or underwhelm you. This is the immediate reaction and this may be the final one, but it never should be the only one used for final judgement. What this means is that time is needed for our brains to learn what's new to your senses. I have many times loved or liked fast, but always over time there is more depth underneath this initial reaction. A transparent system allows for minute changes to have layers or levels of details that produces an end result of "like or not".

My perspective of perceived changes may not bethe absolute reference, due to many reasons: systems vary greatly as does our own hearing . So how does one person write a review that can be read and then fully appreciated by others? My answer is a deep explanation of each change, and my own explanation of the words I use. After all, there really is little in audio we all agree on and even the words we use to describe are heavily debated.

Listening to the same music on multiple systems is essential for me. So how does one accomplish this large task? For me, I use various forms of playback systems I own and know very well. Headphones are a great tool and of course I also enjoy them. Only a few headphones I own or have heard yield sound I feel is like my massive IRS V sound . No headphone gives the wall of sound or the "you are there" illusion like these speakers. However, some get close enough in staging, but more important is the varying transparency that I use as a tool/guage. I define a varying transparency as the varying levels of details each system yields, but even in this variance there is enough commonality to show me what’s real and what’s made up. Some dacs add bass on every song. Some add false dynamics as well. Playing my known music on many setups gives me views I need to show me a better truth in what’s real or not.

The most speaker-like headphone I own is the Hifiman HE6. A great headphone that is very difficult to make sound right. A big amp (far more than most headphone amps) is needed. Once you have it done right it's a whole new vista into the music layering that gives me many details I can use to compare to my speakers . So why use headphones or even more than one system or amp? This is far more important than you may think! The Pacific dac in my opinion has little to no "sound" of its own and just by rolling tubes shows any variation in reproduction . The answer is to confirm what the music has that is common to more than one setup. This shows me more of what is originally there and less of what is put there subsequently. Are there parts of the music put there by the playback chain? This method and others are used as a baseline for any dac I use. Using this method with other dacs, amps, headphones, CIEMS gives me much more details to judge by.

Each song has its own mix of sound and album to album must show very prominent changes. Have you ever played a few songs from one album and noticed big changes from one track to another? Well, any one track to the next should have changes, some even as the mix is changed during the song. Transparency and playing this music in different setups shows me what's really common to all music. Many dacs pick and and choose what we hear. My conclusion is the Pacific does not intrude, it simply passes through only what's in the music. In many ways the dac is passive; this is a word I'll bet no one may have used in a description yet it's a very big virtue to have. Passive does not mean it does nothing. In my terms, it's the ultimate of non invasive sound reproduction . After all, we want to hear our music reproduced without a flavor. In using many forms of playback and many dacs I can better confirm just how transparent or passive this dac is.

Tube rolling any Lampi is a virtue that may seem complex and one could even ask why do I need to do this. When you go to a steak house and order your steak, do you let them pick the cut or how it's cooked and what sides it comes with ? In owning many dacs over the years each having a steadfast sound always puzzled me and using an EQ is just too dark a path to go down . So all that is left is the sound THAT manufacturer feels is best for all. That alone is scary for me. Now as I have said the Pacific is so transparent, it can have a varying sound scale by rolling tubes . Each set of tubes has its own sound, not massive, but enough to vary the sound to better tailor to anyone's system . We all have varying likes and playing varying genre some may feel needs an appropriately matched tube type. Tube rolling yields a treasure trove of sound changes that is very rewarding.

In the next installment I will delve into tube rolling with previous Lampi dacs and with the Pacific . The Pacific brings tube rolling to a new level of refinement .

[Alrainbow]

[Alrainbow]

[wisnon]

Damn, the TAKS are fine. Only EML mesh tubes are more gorgeous.

[Willco]

I have two questions about the Pacific. One simple, one not so simple

First, are there less shiny chassis options? The glittering gold look is just a little too Penthouse at the TrumpTower looking for me. It is pretty though...

Second, the volume control option. Any educated opinions on whether this is a superior route to sq as opposed to a quality pre-amp in an integrated amp? One amp I am am considering is the Mastersound evo 300b integrated, but I guess I'd like an idea if this dac's volume control is particularly good compared to an integrated pre-amp. Thanks

[Alrainbow]

The pacific is comming up with other less bling Options
naa for a volume control on any dac. The lampi uses a volume control
option that does not degrade the sound
as for a preamp my beliefs are always a preamp used whike many or even most don’t
my reasons for a preamp is a preamp is a very difficult device to make and a well made one
gives a better Match to many more amps
hope my answer helped

[Mr Peabody]

My friend who has had several levels of Lampi, not sure if he is at Pacific yet, has always continued to use a preamp. I know that's his preference, he only uses digital source.

[Willco]

The pacific is comming up with other less bling Options
naa for a volume control on any dac. The lampi uses a volume control
option that does not degrade the sound
as for a preamp my beliefs are always a preamp used whike many or even most don’t
my reasons for a preamp is a preamp is a very difficult device to make and a well made one
gives a better Match to many more amps
hope my answer helped

Al, just to make sure I understand: you’re saying while the Pacific Vol control does not degrade the sound, you believe a pre amp is better for the job— even if it’s an integrated pre. Thanks

[Alrainbow]

Yes
its not that’s it’s better it’s gives a better chance at for the amp to fit sonically in the system
this is not a pacific need it’s for any dac or separate audio device. Many don’t fully understand the need of a oreamp.

[wisnon]

THE VOL Control option gives the remote control possibility of input switching and dac engine switching (if you have say chipless DSD option). I, myself would always get the remote control option.